The Arc of Team AMBR
by ReavesTheReader
Summary: One year later, after the Vytal Festival is postponed, a new batch of first years arrive to enroll at Beacon Academy. Among them is a knight with a brother complex, a soldier-turned-Huntsman, a hunter being chased by her past, and a fighter with a thirst for blood. Join Jeane Celeste Arc and her own team in their adventures in hunting down Grimm and face the monsters known as man.
1. Prologue: The Twin's Starting Line

A loud ringing broke the silence of the peaceful room.

For a full minute, nothing stirred except for the vibrating device atop a bedside table. Then, under the cover of the shadows and bed sheets, a single arm stretched out and began feeling its way towards the source of the noise. Taking a few attempts, the slender hand found its target: a small electronic device commonly called a scroll. Pressing on the golden, diamond-shaped center of the gadget, the ringing immediately stopped and the room became silent once more. The arm, still holding onto the device, suddenly went limp and hung at the edge of the bed while its owner remained wrapped under the sheets, sleeping soundly.

The scroll, however, was not done. As fast as its owner could return to catching z's, the device suddenly started ringing once more, in a much higher volume this time.

Startled by the second wake-up-call, the figure jumped up in a hurry, only to get caught by the sheets. It fell to the floor with a loud thud. The jumbled mess rolled around, trying to get free. After a few minutes of struggling, out of the sheets emerged a young girl in a t-shirt a size too large for her. She silenced the device once more and let out an unladylike yawn, all the while making her way to her bathroom. On the way, she stumbled and tripped more than once on the mess of clothes that covered the floor.

Inside, the girl started fixing her hair. The shoulder-length, pale- blonde mess with a serious case of bed-hair was thoroughly combed down and properly tied into a ponytail with a single black ribbon. Cupping some water with her white, porcelain hands, she washed and dried off her face. She checked her reflection on the small mirror, focusing more on the ribbon than anything else. She made her way back into the bedroom, smiling with satisfaction.

Now, to picture the current setting in words, it was a clash between chaos and calm. On one side, a bed of blue bed sheets resembling a stormy sea, hills of unsorted articles of clothes ranging from shirts to skirts to undergarments, two open travel bags with overflowing contents. One would think it an understatement to compare it to a dump. Nevertheless, the owner of the mess looked on with a childish smile. After all, she was overjoyed to finally be able to achieve her goal.

"It's almost time..." She spoke softly to herself as she checked the small analog clock that hung in the center of the room just above the door. The hour hand stretched just between the number five and six.

Shifting her gaze to the bed half of the room across hers, her smile became a little sad. Said bed was neat and tidy as if no one had been using it at all. The bedside table right next to it was just as clean. Sitting on top was a single picture frame, the only thing remaining that belonged to the bed's previous owner. Two photos were inserted inside. One was a family photo of ten. The smaller one stuck in front was a couples shot of two identical blondes. Covered in a layer of dust, the faces weren't really discernible. But that didn't matter to the young girl for she had the same picture saved in her scroll and a physical copy stored in the family album.

His handsome face that used to be mistaken for a girl's was already imprinted in her memories. His soft, messy hair was always comforting to the touch that it sometimes confused her to thinking it was her own. But his cobalt-blue eyes were the best assets of his that she favored the most. Caring and gentle, her brother had the kindest pair of gems that she had ever seen. Knowing that she would be able to see them soon, her heartbeat began to race.

"Just a few more hours..." she whispered as her forefinger traced the single black ribbon tied to her head.

"Jeane, you awake yet?!" A knock followed by a loud, effeminate voice echoed from the hallway. "We leave as soon as you finish breakfast so you'd better not be sleepin' in again!"

"I'm awake already," she replied. "I'll be down in a minute."

"Hmm?!" The voice outside seemed surprised to get a reply. "Heh. Well aren't you excited. If you woke up this early every day, Jaune wouldn't be such a worrywart. Make sure your room's cleaned up before we go. Don't give Lily some trouble cleaning up after you again. I'll be outside preppin' our ride."

Fading footsteps could be heard from outside the room while a chill went down Jeane's spine. At her sister's words, she quietly remembered a certain trauma caused by said sister's hobby. She decided to stop thinking and forget about it. Instead, the mess before her needed to be resolved as quickly as possible.

Scanning the room for something she needed to clean, she noted down all of the nostalgic memories. Nearest the door was the entrance to the bathroom. That was where she first made Jaune spring a fountain of blood through his nose. She earned a scolding from both her mother and elder sister about bathing with the door open for that. Next was her study desk. She remembered when Jaune tried to carry her over to her bed when she fell asleep on top of it. Her twin found out that a princess-styled-carry was not feasible by just anyone and Jeane learned the lesson of cleaning up her toys before accidents could happen.

She giggled at the childish memories. Remembering the remaining time she had, she continued looking around.

A huge window spanned the wall opposite the doorway. Curtains, thick enough to hide a person, were stretched only partway, leaving her twin's portion of the room hidden from the golden light. 'Those curtains,' she thought. She remembered the time both she and Jaune hid behind them for hide-and-seek. The fun times they had warmed her up as she remembered how close they cuddled to stay hidden from their little sisters. Blushing red, she moved on and spotted the closet next to her brother's bed. Opening it up, she found it to be quite spacious. What with Jaune only bringing the necessities with him to Beacon, the rest of his stuff was packed up in cardboard boxes placed in the attic.

THUD THUD THUD

"Big Sis Jeane!" Following the sudden knocks to her door, a louder, younger voice called out. "Big Sis Pearl says if you're not out of the house in five minutes, she'll leave ya behind!"

"Oh damn..." Cursing herself, Jeane went into panic mode. Looking here and there, she started jamming a few underwear and shirts in one of the travel bags. Picking only the cutest ones she had, she zipped up both travel bags, either looked just about ready to explode.

"Also," The little girl's voice outside added. "She said to throw your bags down the window if you're done packing!"

"Thanks, Phia!" she replied loudly. Ripping the curtains open, she did just as her little sister said and tossed the bags out the opened window. Directly below was the family garage. Knowing their third eldest sister, she had built a contraption that caught things as they fell on the roof of the garage and redirected them to the family car's trunk. She didn't even think to notice the missing sound of impact.

'I'm so sorry, Lily.' Praying that her other dear little sister would forgive her, she picked up everything and anything that still littered the bedroom floor and began hiding them. Where? She stuffed them in her brother's closet as it was the only empty thing left in the room. If she was to finish her breakfast and be out in less than four minutes, she had no time to play the role of a proper lady. Snatching a pair of jeans off the floor, she fixed up her hair as she put on her favorite blue hoodie, a handmade gift from her twin.

A few minutes after gobbling down her breakfast of bacon and eggs, she was currently sitting near the doorway. Cleaning bread crumbs from her face, she began to tie the laces of her favorite pair of sneakers. Once finished, she started to double check herself. She had a bad habit of forgetting things at the most important times, something she used to rely on her twin before he left.

"Handkerchief, ribbon, clothes, spares, bag, armor, ribbon, underwear..."

Let's just say she was prone to forget a lot of things.

"Did I forget anything else...?"

"How about your weapon?" A masculine voice made the young Jeane turn her head. "You don't expect Jaune to share Crocea Mors, do you?"

"Dad?!" She exclaimed as a tall blue-eyed middle-aged man in a black trench coat made his appearance behind her. His graying blonde hair was combed back and he carried an air of nobility about him. Standing next to him, a dark-haired woman who seemed to be only in her mid twenties had her arms stretched out for a hug. "Mom too?!" She walked up to give them both a hug. "I thought the both of you already left for work?"

"And let you leave without saying goodbye?" The long-haired woman gave her daughter a tight embrace. Tears streaked down the sides of her youthful face. "We promised ourselves never to make the same mistake we did with your brother."

In her mother's arms, Jeane fidgeted. The memories of that day were a terrible one. Yelling, shouts, the shattering of glass, the slamming of doors, a fight between father and son started that day. Silence between family members during the afternoon followed. It was a painful atmosphere. In the end, the weather brought even more grief as a storm brewed during the night.

She remembered waking up at the sound of thunder and flashes of lightning. Normally, she would cuddle next to Jaune out of fear of sleeping alone, but that night, she couldn't find him. On top of his bed were several letters, one for their parents and one each for the rest of the sisters.

At reading their respective letters, five out of the eight remaining family members had reactions that aligned with the definition of depression. Their parents were stricken with grief and regret. The three young ones cried the night away and remained silent for the rest of the week. Jeane, on the other hand, shut herself in her and Jaune's room and refused to come out for almost a month. The ones that held the family together were the three eldest siblings. In their case, they hardly reacted to their brother's leaving, almost as if they had expected it.

Around a month later, they discovered why. Big Sisters Lizzy, Carla and Pearl were all in on it. They were the ones that helped Jaune to enroll at Beacon and they each confessed their crime to their father after they received Jaune's first letter since he left. Pearl provided the transportation, Carla gave him the funds and Lizzy falsified his transcripts. Their father didn't even flinch when they told him the truth. Maybe he had his doubts or perhaps he already knew what would happen seeing as all of Jaune's elder sisters were supportive of him in the first place.

Either way, the arrival of the second letter was the shocker. The headmaster of Beacon himself addressed their father. Jeane wasn't able to read what the letter contained as their father threw it into the paper shredder just minutes after reading, but according to Big Sis Carla, who pieced the fragments of the letter while cleaning out the trash, Jaune was being tested. His transcripts were found out from the start but he was still allowed to stay. In any normal case, expulsion was a normal and immediate response. But in the event that Jaune proved to be better than his transcripts said he was within the first few months, he would be pardoned and allowed to stay permanently.

Following the events of that day, they waited on good news. But the good came with the bad. News of the sudden White Fang attack on Vale had forced a certain list of victims to be released to the public. They waited with baited breath, hoping his name wasn't on it. Finally relaxing when they heard from their son, they were even more surprised to hear from Ozpin as well. Apparently, the headmaster had sent a letter stating that Jaune had proven his worth during the defence of the city and would let the matter slide completely. He would allow the boy to remain at Beacon for the rest of his school life.

The emotional rollercoaster that was the Arc family had at last reached time to relax at the news of Jaune's current state. But the peace didn't last for long. After the events had died down, a certain twin had a sudden idea to follow after her brother. Agonizing over not being by his side, she longed to see him again. But with Beacon's strict educational schedule and the recent terrorist attack, vacations weren't exactly just around the corner. That was when Jeane made a request to her family...

"Jeane?" Her mother's voice brought her back to reality. "Is something wrong, dear?"

"No." She quickly wiped a tear straying down her cheek before her mother could notice. "It's just that... I'm gonna miss you all."

"We'll miss you too, sweetie." Her mother tried, but failed, to block out the tears. "You take care of your brother for us while you're there, okay?" She turned to face her husband who also had a tear sliding down his face. "Honey, your gift..."

"Gift?!" Jeane asked with curiosity.

"I never gave my son anything before he left," her father picked up a long case covered in blue-colored linen. "I had always been against teaching any of you, especially Jaune, about fighting Grimm. But I..." The tall man sighed, scratching the back of his head. "It wasn't right for me to stop him from chasing his dreams, even if it was because I only wanted what was best for all of you. My training for you is incomplete and this was the best I could do before you had to leave."

Taking the case out of the linen bag, Jeane opened it carefully and widened her eyes at the sight.

"Your sister helped me with this one. I know it's unfair, giving you two gifts while your brother gets none. But right now, I believe you need it more than he does. So, for his sake, use it with what I've taught you to survive in that school."

Admiring her present, Jeane whispered.

"What's its name...?"

"We never gave it one. It's yours to name."

Taken aback by the sudden decision to name her father's gift to her, Jeane tried to think of one. 'To name something is to designate its purpose for being' was what her writer of a sister had said to her before.

She loved her brother dearly. She wanted this gift to embody that fact. But giving it a name like 'Holy Weapon' was something too embarrassing even for her. Then she remembered the times when Jaune would look up at the sword that used to be mounted on the wall of their father's study.

Crocea Mors was always just a decoration to her. But when Jaune got curious about the weapon and even found out its name, he began to read about the language that it came from. His curiosity intrigued her to learn about it too.

'To live for his sake... loyal to my brother...' she thought. Using her knowledge of the old language, she found her answer. She smiled at the new name for her father's gift.

"How about..."

"Hmm?" Her father raised an eyebrow.

"How about I call it 'Caerula Vitae'?"


	2. Chapter 1: The First Set of Pieces

"Rook to D5. Aaaand that is checkmate!"

"Noooooooo!"

"Better luck next time, Ruby."

"My pretty pony... How could you..?"

"Mr. Arc. Ms. Rose. Could you please speak quietly while within the library!? This is a place for learning, not emotional drama!"

"We're sorry, Ms. Berli. It won't happen again."

"My free cookies..."

As the librarian left the team leaders, plus one, to their table, Ruby began to whimper once more for the loss of both her beloved Knight piece and her chances of getting free sweet treats. Sitting next to the little redhead, a second redhead consoled the little girl before turning to her partner who sat opposite Ruby.

"The winner of this match is Jaune. He is awarded the right to choose the location for the next joint mission for Teams RWBY and JNPR," raising his arm the smiling girl declared the winner of the fight. Residing as their judge, Pyrrha added emphasis to the results of the bet. "Ruby also loses the right to her free, home-baked cookies."

"Come on, Pyrrha. I can still bake some cookies even if Ruby lost the bet."

A glimmer of hope shone in the little red hood's eyes...

"That would be a violation of the rules to the game, so no."

...only to be dashed away by the crimson Champion.

"Pyrrha?!"

"MR. ARC!"

"Sorry, ma'am."

After apologizing to the angry, brown-headed librarian, Jaune gave Pyrrha a pleading look. At first, it seemed to be super effective on the redhead. Refusing to show weakness, Pyrrha tries to avoid his gaze by looking the other way, only to be met by a puppy-dog-eyed Ruby. With both flanks covered, the Spartan gives up her teasing.

"Ok. I get it. Ruby can have her cookies..."

"YAAAAAY!" The red hood began to jump in triumph until...

"... but only if I get half of what you bake as well." A deal was proposed.

"DONE!" Jaune agreed.

"UNDONE!" Ruby disagreed.

"OUT! NOW!" Ms. Berli, the librarian, returned. Her beautiful face stained with a murderous glare.

It had already been a year since Initiation. The past year had been sorely uneventful, save for a few adventures like risky missions that the eight of them had taken. But other than the capture of Roman Torchwick during the White Fang attack on Vale, not a single event involving the radical Faunus group had surfaced since then. The Vytal Festival that was supposed to take place was, for the first time in history, postponed. Rumours about the Council of Vale taking extra precautions became popular for a while until eventually dying down with the extraction of the Atlas military. Since the Festival was cancelled, there was no need for the extra security. Ironwood withdrew his forces and, with permission from the Atlesian and Valean Councils, took custody of all the criminals arrested during the breach which included the surviving White Fang and Roman.

Politics aside, Team JNPR alongside Team RWBY were currently enjoying their second year as students at Beacon Academy. In light of their ascension through the ranks, they would have written tests and classes replaced by practical missions distributed by the school's own mission boards, occasionally leaving beyond the walls.

As to how the two leaders, Ruby in particular, were playing chess in the library, the little reaper talked to Jaune about how to become a better tactician, something Jaune was mostly against as he thought himself incapable of becoming someone else's teacher. Forcefully challenging the scraggly blonde to a chess match, they chose a fitting, intellectual stage to host their battle. To convince the boy to go along with the match, they made bets. Jaune wanted to choose the next place they could visit on their next joint mission with Team RWBY whereas the little rose demanded hand-baked sweets.

The three made their quick exit from the library, snickering as they go.

"Okay," Jaune cleared his throat. "So that's a bag of chocolate-chipped cookies. Since Ruby lost, you both get only half the agreed amount."

"Uuuggghhh! Fine! But make sure mine's got the biggest chocolate chips."

"Can only make do with what I got, Rubes."

Writing down the orders in a small notepad as the reaper conceded, Jaune noted the ingredients they still had in the dorms. He wondered whether they needed to go shopping again to restock.

"I think we still have enough flour for about twenty cookies," he whispered to himself. "So, ten each should be good enough."

"Didn't we already run out?" Pyrrha chimed in. "Ren was quite mad about it this morning when Nora started begging him to bake a cake."

"We got like three bags of flour last time we went shopping," he replied.

"But didn't Nora use all of it for breakfast last weekend?"

"Hmmm? Did she?! Why don't I remember any of that? Wait! Am I forgetting something?" He racked his brain, trying to recall the events passed. "I could've sworn something big happened during the weekends."

"Well..." Pyrrha fidgeted on how to explain.

Five days ago,

"Ooooooooohhh, a double-dozen-inch stack smothered in strawberry-maple-chocolate syrup with a jar of honey, a can of whipped cream and a seven-cherry crown top," exclaimed a cheery girl clad in pink. "Now, for a drink to go with it, this bad boy needs is an espresso with a dozen cubes of pure sweetness! But where did Ren hide the sugar?"

Ren had the team's best interest in mind. Contrary to how he appears aloof at times, he did pay close attention to everything around him. The boy's caring and understanding nature was beloved by all, mostly because he was the only one capable of stopping Nora. However, if he wasn't around, his friends would be lost without his guidance. This is most especially the case when there was no one else to stop the Valkyrie. Lost in thought of all the hiding places, she cheerily started searching.

The cupboards, the shelves, the sink, under the beds, the closet, even the bathroom. She continued her search in every nook and cranny within the dorm but found nothing.

"Hmmm, if I was a jar of sugar, where would I be hiding?"

CREAK

Just then, the door opened.

"Hmm hmm hmm, hey Nora." A happy Jaune appeared. He walked in and was currently digging through his closet.

DING

"Liiiightbuuulb..." Nora had an idea.

"Come again?"

"Oh nothing."

"Hmm..." he continued on with his business.

"Say Jaune, do y'know where Ren hid the sugar? Ruby came by and asked if she could borrow some. Said she was going to make some cupcakes for Weiss."

"Hmm? Oh yeah, the sugar cubes are in a small compartment hidden under Ren's bed," he obliviously answered.

"THANKS!" Nora's cheery voice disappeared, replaced by the sound of furniture being dragged across the floor and said furniture being noisily flipped on its side.

"Huh, that's weird. If Ruby wanted sugar today, why didn't she ask me when I was with her a while ago–?!" Jaune realized his mistake. "NORA, WAI–!"

Five minutes later,

"..."

"..."

"Uuuggghhh... ooowww... my baaack..."

"Hihihihihihi...hihihihihihihihihihihi...hihi...hihihi..."

Armageddon greeted Ren and Pyrrha. Craters for floors and holes for walls were only the minor details. The furniture, beds and any form of plumbing seemingly created a replica of a triggered minefield. On the floor to one side, a giggling yet spasming orange-haired girl was wearing an expression of pure bliss. In the ceiling on the opposite side of said girl, a thin blonde had his arms and legs dangling like dead limbs. His back seemed to be glued to the place where the light bulb was supposed to be. At first, Ren thought he was dreaming. But then, he noticed the sugary mess where the kitchen was supposed to be.

"Grrrrrr," the boy in green snapped. "NOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Present day,

"So...?" Jaune pegged his partner to continue. "What happened?"

"Well," Pyrrha averted her gaze. "Let's just say that Ren's decided to not make pancakes for a month."

Jaune and Ruby simply stared at the redhead, puzzled by Ren boycotting baking.

"At least, not for Nora anyway." She added that last bit and the other two simply accepted it. It was common fact that when the bubbly girl was involved, Ren knew best.

"Huh... Well that explains why he gave her the cold shoulder..." Jaune gave up on remembering completely. No good in trying to remember seemingly bad memories. "Then I'll just make the cookies next time. In the mean time, I look forward to choosing where we go next. And no, we are NOT going outside the kingdom."

"Aaawww," Ruby whined at the follow up. "I wanted to go treasure hunting at Vacuo!"

"Uh, are you referring to the recently overrun ruins just across the southern borders?" Pyrrha asked. "Professor Oobleck said that those missions were restricted to graduating students only."

"What?!" Ruby was in shock. "Yang said we could go and even bring back a souvenir!"

"The Grimm encounter reports in that area recently skyrocketed just after some researchers blasted open a new tunnel last month and only fully-fledged Huntsmen are allowed anywhere near them."

"And besides," Jaune added. "Who, in their right minds, would allow kids to take random stuff from an archaeological dig site? Won't all the stuff they find there be important, y'know, for history and stuff?"

"Ugh, I was sooo looking forward to it..." the little one pouted.

They continued to walk in silence for a while. Only during such times did Ruby wonder why the library was so far away from the dorms. Pyrrha, on the other hand, was silently thanking the architect for the extended time she could have walking side by side with the apple of her eye. Even if it was in silence, she still enjoyed her time with her dense idiot of a leader. But, sadly, Ruby's introverted nature didn't align with Pyrrha's wishes.

"So," breaking the silence, Ruby decided to get her assessment while they walked back to the dorms. "How did I do in the chess game?"

"Better than Yang, but still below Ren," commented Jaune. "It was preeetty obvious you were trying to punch a hole through the pawns using everything except the knight piece."

"Darn it," Ruby cursed her obviousness. "What gave it away?"

"Well," Pyrrha decided to answer that. "It would've been easier to hide if you didn't monologue your plans all the time like a dramatic villain in the movies, Ruby."

"..." Ruby was speechless at her own mistake.

Grinning at her awkward jaw-drop expression, Jaune decided to ask the question that was bugging him even more today.

"Why chess?"

"Hm?" the two reds tilted their heads to the side.

"You said you wanted to become a better leader," the boy explained. "So why did you want to play chess?"

"Oh, y'know, I figured that if I learned how to handle an army, I could be a better team leader."

The little rose answered so honestly, it seemed like childish thinking.

"Ruby, you don't need to be good at chess to be a better leader," Jaune said. "In fact, chess doesn't determine whether you're a good leader or not. I mean, you devised team combo moves that are straight out of a video game. You get along well with everyone in your team. Well, maybe not all the time with Weiss, but still you're sensitive enough to help them out whenever you can. You're already a leader just by being who you are."

Pyrrha nodded in agreement with her leader's statement.

"Hmmm," Ruby thought for a bit. "Your right. Thanks, Jaune. You too, Pyrrha."

"Glad I could be of help," Pyrrha replied while Jaune ruffled the little girl's hair, something his partner would've killed... I mean, something his partner would've wanted him to try on her own as well.

Continuing down the hall, the trio conversed some more. Reminiscing the past year that went by like a breeze, they found a new topic.

"So, what do you guys think Professor Ozpin has planned for this year's Initiation?"

"Knowing the headmaster, I would guess something random." Pyrrha couldn't really guess what Ozpin would do.

"You think he'd do to them the same he did with us? He seems like the kind of guy who would catapult kids into the forest without blinking an eye." The knight's sarcastic tone sounded along the almost empty corridor.

"Jaune, you're not still holding a grudge, are you?" Pyrrha smiled with concern.

"Let's see. Launching me a few hundred meters into the air and allowing me to fall into a forest chock full of Grimm at terminal velocity all the while knowing that I had no actual combat training before entering Beacon and almost being killed by a Deathstalker after a close landing, what do you think?"

"You're... angry?" Ruby guessed.

"Hahah," the boy chuckled. "I was."

"Was?" both redheads prompted.

"Well, it was ME who came here without actually knowing anything at all about fighting. I didn't even try to study up on what they do here before I applied. There I was, thinking the life of a hero would be simple and easy. Boy was I wrong." He said reasonably. "So, you could say it was mostly my fault."

The two reds glanced at each other. Just a few days after the resolved White Fang incident dubbed, the Breach, Ozpin called upon those that bravely defended Vale from the Grimm. The headmaster held a service to show gratitude to the defenders and honored the dead. Shortly after, he interrogated Team RWBY about the events that led up to the present and offered to reward their team. Generous as he was, Ozpin did the same for those that rushed to Vale's aide, mainly Teams JNPR and CFVY.

Among the awardees, Jaune was called for and spoken to in private. This aroused curiosity from his teammates as well their sister Team. They tried to interrogate him about it but he was reluctant to do so. His talk with the headmaster was mostly about how Ozpin had informed his family that he was involved and survived the incident. The reasoning for this was pretty obvious. Ozpin knew Jaune's transgressions for entering Beacon illegally and his family, his father in particular, was worried. But despite the wrongness of the Arc boy's actions, Ozpin allowed him to stay, on the one condition that Jaune improve himself enough to match his teammates in terms of fighting capability. Seeing as he passed this condition, the headmaster called and informed the Arc family of his decision to let Jaune stay.

But as this was a personal matter, the silver-headed headmaster left the boy to choose whether to tell the others or not. It wasn't long until he decided that his closest friends deserved to know. Reactions were... mixed, to say the least. Some were cross about it, like Weiss and Yang. Others were kind enough to understand and stay quiet, like Ruby and Ren. But all in all, they decided to just accept it. After all, dark secrets about the past were pretty common among their troupe of friends.

"I can't blame him for wanting to test his students," Jaune continued. "But I just wish he wasn't too extreme about 'how' he did it."

"That's... quite mature of you, Jaune," Ruby said. "You've really grown up."

"And you haven't, I guess," Jaune teased.

"Hey, I'll have you know that drinking a single gallon of milk a day since entering Beacon has helped me grow 1.2 centimeters just this year," the little leader retorted. "Just five more years and I'll be taller than Weiss!"

"Wait, a gallon of milk per day?" Jaune started thinking. "A gallon is equal to 4 quarts. A quart equals 4 glasses. You can drink 16 of those in a single day?! How are you not getting sick of it?"

"Never underestimate me, Jaune. I have a will of iron," Ruby continued by monologuing in a scheming tone. "And soon, I'll be tall enough to match Pyrrha. Soon... Heheheh... Bwahahahah... BWUAAAHAHAHAH!"

Giggling at the young one's evil laugh, one of the trio decided to be realistic about it.

"I'd hate to be the bearer of bad news, Ruby, but, on average, girl's can't grow any taller after the age of eighteen," Pyrrha, walking next to her partner, had shutdown Ruby's dreams then and there.

"BWUHAHAHA–! Wait... What did you...?" Ruby became silent.

"So it probably wouldn't matter if you grew another centimeter per year for the next... two years..." the Spartan noticed that her friend stopped in her tracks and was now left a few feet behind. "Uh... Ruby?"

The short girl was quiet. That wasn't the problem though. She was also trembling in place. She shook while staring down at the floor. Seeking help, Pyrrha looked over to Jaune. However, even the blonde didn't know what to do in this situation.

"Uh... Is everything alright?" He tried asking. "Ruby?"

"...lied to me..."

"Come again?" the taller pair tilted their heads.

"She... she..."

At that moment, Ruby snapped.

"GRRRRAAAAAAAGGGGHHH! YANG LIED TO MEEEE!" Just as she blew her top, the little red disappeared with a sonic boom. The only sign that she was once there was the mess of falling rose petals that trailed off towards the direction of the dorms building. Left in confusion, the knight and Spartan pair looked at each other, searching for answers. Of course, it didn't last long. Just staring at each other's eyes was enough to turn Pyrrha's cheeks as red as her hair.

"STUDENTS!"

"AAAHHH!" "WAAAAHH!"

A sudden shout behind the pair nearly made them jump out of their shoes. In a daze, Pyrrha let out a cute squeal before jumping to her partner's side. The culprit, standing behind them, was a professor they knew all too well. Ahem. I mean, 'Doctor' they knew well. His unkempt green hair was carelessly pulled back as if swept away by the breeze. Not to mention, his crooked tie and partially untucked button-up shirt completely made him look nothing like a professor. Ahem, sorry, Doctor.

"Prof– I mean, Doctor Oobleck," Pyrrha cleared her throat. "What can we do for you?"

"Ah yes, Ms. Nikos. I was just going to confirm with the both of you and Mr. Arc if the one that broke the sound barrier in a fit of rage all the while simultaneously creating this thick trail of petals was indeed Ms. Rose."

"Uh, yes, sir, it was Ruby," Jaune slipped in his words. "What's up?"

"Petals assumed to be after effects. Note if volume is proportional to initial velocity."

"Professor?"

The teacher wrote down notes in a small leather-bound journal while observing the petal-flooded floor but immediately snapped back to attention and pocketed his notes when Jaune called for him. Approaching Jaune so that the boy's nose was just a few centimeters from his spectacles, the tall man corrected his pupil's mistake.

"It's 'Doctor', Mr. Arc," returning back to his normal posture, the man failed to sense a redhead's jealousy in their momentarily close approximation. "Well, seeing as you answered my query, I need nothing more. I was simply taking notes on Ms. Rose's Semblance. However, this mess simply won't do. So–" Dashing out of sight and returning just as quickly, the doctor continued. "Please use this to help me clean up your friend's mess."

Noticing the dust pans and brooms the teacher held out in both hands, the yellow-red duo just decided to nod and follow his instructions instead of arguing. Although it was Oobleck's idea to clean, his constant darting back and forth caused some of the already-collected petals to scatter all over again. However, the partners simply continued to clean up after their friend, as well as the instructor's, mess anyway. They did enjoy a laugh when Glynda Goodwitch spotted their activities and scolded her fellow staff about how difficult he was making the task for the two to accomplish, especially since it was he who requested their help. After the arduous task was completed, with the help of the good witch, Pyrrha and Jaune waved their professors off before heading back to the dorms.

The pair walked in silence as the sun started to set. The once blue sky was now tinged with a burning orange hue. The atmosphere was just right. The mood was perfect. A conversation between partners was undoubtedly going to be romantic right about now. So why was it so quiet between the two? There was just one problem: Pyrrha didn't know what to talk about at a time like this.

(Assertive Nikos)'Come on, Pyrrha. Just start a conversation.'

(Reserved Nikos)'But... but... what should I say?'

(Assertive Nikos) 'I don't know! Just act natural!'

(Reserved Nikos) 'Natural?! Like what?!'

(Assertive Nikos) 'Anything! Just don't waste the time you get to spend with your adorkable knight!'

She tried searching for a topic.

"So uhh..." she started.

"Hmmm?"

"It's a nice weather we're having, huh?"

(Assertive Nikos) 'No! You idiot! Not that!'

(Reserved Nikos) 'You said 'natural'! This wasn't it?!'

(Assertive Nikos) 'Anything BUT that! How are you supposed to follow up a conversation with just THAT?!'

(Reserved Nikos) 'I'm sorry! I'm not good at this, especially since its Jaune!'

"I guess so..."

As a storm of thoughts surged within Pyrrha's head, Jaune answered absentmindedly. His tone was less cheery than it was a minute ago. Now that she noticed, he seemed to have been awfully quiet for a while now. Curious, Pyrrha calmed her inner turmoil to focus on her partner.

"Since it's such a nice day, would you..." she stopped the blonde boy with a tap to his shoulder.

"Huh?" he was abruptly made to face his pair.

"Would you like to practice again today?"

"Uh..." Scratching the back of his head, Jaune tried to avert his gaze. "Maybe not today, Pyrrha."

To the eyes of his partner, it was clear something was off.

"Something bothering you?" She asked.

"Just a... Not feeling too well... right now..."

He tried to dodge the question, but Pyrrha was having none of that. She pushed a little harder by grabbing his arm.

"Jaune, I can tell something is bothering you." She gripped his hand in her palms. "I want to help, so please, let me."

Taking a deep breath, Jaune let out a sigh. Pyrrha, not wanting to rush him, let the boy answer at his own pace. After a while, he spoke.

"I'm just a little... frustrated is all."

"About what?"

"Haah," (Sigh #2) popped out. He sat down with his back to a pillar. Pyrrha sat next to him, albeit nervous of their close proximity. "Ruby wanted me to teach her how to be a better leader...even though I have absolutely no idea what I did to give her the impression that I am."

Pyrrha listened intently. Her neutral expression demonstrates how serious she was about her partner's dilemma.

"She's a better fighter, has a good head on her shoulders. She's also pretty badass when it comes down to it. I'm proud to call her my friend." Jaune's expression changed from impressed to one of self-pity. "To top it off, she has an amazing Semblance. (Sigh #3) Somehow I feel like I can't keep up with her at all."

Pyrrha's solemn air didn't change. She just listened.

"I left my family so that I could become a Huntsman here at Beacon. It's already been a year and I still feel like I'm in square one."

"You are not," Pyrrha declared. "You've been really improving. You have been since you asked me to train you–"

"Even my Semblance hasn't manifested itself yet," he interrupted her praise. "No matter how hard I try, I still don't know what it is."

"Don't worry. We're almost there," Pyrrha consoled her partner. "Everyone has their own pace. You've already got the hang of channelling your Aura. You never know. We might find out what it is tomorrow."

"But it's just so... frustrating." Jaune sighed as he leaned his balk to the wall of the empty hallway. "All this training may be helping me but still. I feel like I'm just wasting your time..."

Pyrrha was definitely NOT having any of that.

"You are not!" Grasping his hands in hers, she forced eye contact with her partner. "I will not stand by and allow my partner to say such things about himself. Jaune Arc is the most hard-working person I know. He's kind and looks out for his friends. He may be a klutz sometimes but I know he means well. He never wanted to be a leader, but he still gave his all to be the best he could be. And for that, his friends respect him for it."

Only after saying all that did Pyrrha notice her partner's gloom disappear, replaced by a kind and relieved expression. Then she took note of how red with embarrassment his cheeks were. With just a breath's distance between their faces, Pyrrha immediately pulled hers away and stood up. However, she wasn't finished.

"Even though you look down on yourself and your abilities, you're forgetting one important thing Jaune," holding out her hand, she slowly pulled the boy up to his feet.

"What's that?"

"You were able to survive here at Beacon," she replied with a smile.

"Heheh. Yeah, but didn't we all?" he answered jokingly.

"Yes, we did. But you were probably the first one to ever survive a year WITHOUT his Semblance. And that makes me even prouder to call you my partner."

Jaune stared back at the redhead's eyes. Pride and joy were clearly reflected from her green gems. She was proud of him. It was something he always heard from his parents but it was his first time hearing it from a friend. Taking in all she said, he regained his cheery demeanor.

"Thanks, Pyrrha. You're a pal."

(Reserved Nikos) 'Aaaw! Just a pal?'

(Assertive Nikos) 'Shut up and take it! He's too dense so just be patient!'

(Reserved Nikos) 'But I want him!'

(Assertive Nikos) 'I do too so be patient!'

Pyrrha smiled at the remark, silently cursing how the apple of her eye could be so dense.

"Just don't let Nora catch you feeling bad about yourself. We wouldn't want her to do EVERYTHING she can just to cheer you up."

God knows, NO ONE wants Nora to do EVERYTHING she can. The happiness of one man is not worth the end of the world.

BEEP BEEP

A sudden beeping interrupted the duo from their peaceful talk. Taking out his scroll, Jaune checked the 'inbox' tab.

"It's from Ren."

"What does it say?"

"It says 'Ruby is trying to kill Yang for lying to her about the height growth thing. Nora is helping her. PLEASE HELP. P.S. Don't get Goodwitch.'"

Of course, if they wanted to resolve things peacefully with Professor Goodwitch, they'd have to go through a hell of a punishment first. That was not advisable so the two silently agreed not to call the teacher.

BEEP BEEP

"Another one? From Blake? It says 'I can hear Nora from your dorm room. She says she plans on breaking the door down.'"

"She's kidding, right?" Jaune asked his partner. But the two both knew, the secret Faunus of Team RWBY was never one to joke about Nora.

BEEP BEEP

BEEP BEEP

BEEP BEEP

BEEP BEEP

BEEP BEEP

The scroll started to beep repeatedly.

"Mail Received: Ren" "Mail Received: Ren" "Mail Received: Blake" "Mail Received: Ren" "Mail Received: Weiss" "Mail Received: Ruby" "Mail Received: Ruby" "Mail Received: Ren" "Mail Received: Mom" "Mail Received: Yang" "Mail Received: Ren" "Mail Received: Zwei" "Mail Received: Ren" "Mail Received: Blake" "Mail Received: Weiss"

"What the–" Getting flustered with the consecutive received messages, Jaune quickly scanned the text of the most recent one. His face switched from worry to dread.

"Jaune," Spotting the change, Pyrrha asked. "What is it?"

"Weiss says she's gonna call Goodwitch if we don't stop Nora from breaking down their room's wall."

"That's not good!"

Panicked, the two rushed toward the dorms. Little did Jaune know, had he read all of the emails he received that night, he would have known that another problem was coming his way.

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES: I AM BACK! After the first month I started revising this work, I ended up with a lot of dead ends. The characters were messed up all over in design, half-hearted personalities, no backstories. I needed to rethink and double check everything. After much consideration, I went for an overhaul. Now most of what occurs in the original work is gonna disappear, mostly minor but you get it, that is a lot of minor details to redo. The timeline in the revised is gonna get compressed so you guys are gonna have to reread the whole thing. Sorry. On the plus side, I can now write the story that I originally planned for all of my characters. Now, as all of you know, I will STILL not stick to the canon's main plot. However, I will wait until major details like 'where they lived' & 'this place's name' if I have too. I really wanna introduce Jaune and Jeane's family but that is a boatload of kids so not any time sooner. Anyway, I also ended up with a good backstory for the second team. So they will get the spotlight. But first, the main cast. I will be working on this project, and hopefully ONLY this project, for the next three months straight, so stay tuned for updates.**_

 _ **Thanks again for the patience and I'll see you guys next time! XD**_


	3. Chapter 2: Making Friends and-or Enemies

The view from the deck was gorgeous. Normally, anyone who wasn't from the kingdom would enjoy their time, gazing out from the viewing gallery located at the bottom of the airship. The gallery's semicircular windows offered a wondrous view of the city of Vale as the airship flew towards the Kingdom's prestigious Beacon Academy.

However, one young girl walked past without even pausing to look out the windows. Minding her own business, she walked past her excited peers as she continued to head towards the inner cabin. Any stranger might think 'she's wasting her time by not enjoying the view', but the girl had other problems.

She was tense. To be specific, she was wound up, on edge, uptight. However you would want to call it. But not because of the fact that every youth on board, including her, were part of the new batch of Beacon applicants for the new school year. Also, it wasn't because the airship she was in was up about a few thousand meters above sea-level. And also, no, she was not motion sick.

'The air here is suffocating,' the girl sighed. 'Just how do they deal with this difficult-to-breathe-in atmosphere?'

She was just not used to the luxury known as air-conditioning. Because of this, the girl hurried her pace.

Oh, by the way, to describe our current main character's appearance, she was clad in a zipped up, dark-green leather-padded jacket with a camo-print hooded t-shirt underneath. She wore a similarly camo-print, tight-fit, knee-length cargo shorts and thigh-high, dark-olive green socks complete with brown combat boots.

Her figure was slim yet well-toned. She was also tall for her age. One of her black gloved hands gripped tightly at the large, brown rectangular case's strap over her shoulder while the other was tugging down the edge of her hood, trying to obscure her freckled face. Her tan eyes were sharply gazing forward.

Not exactly the attire of a tourist, but then again, the airship was full of colorful and exotically-dressed people. Aside from the clothes, the most eye-catching thing would be the weapons they all had on their person. From ordinary casual-wear to reinforced metallic plates came equipped with simple spears to complex gun-hammer hybrids. Each person had a unique air to how they were dressed as well as how they were armed.

As to her current destination on the airship, she was headed towards the open-air observation deck on the topside of the airship. She reached the entrance at the top of the stairs. Opening the door, she was hit by a sudden gust of wind and the salty smell of the sea.

"Haaah, much better," taking a deep breath, she finally relaxed.

Looking around, the view was better than the one below deck. The skies were clear with only a few clouds floating past and a soft breeze passing by. The sun up above was approaching its zenith with a leisure pace. The waves down below crashed on the rocks of the cliffs in perfect rhythm, calming to the ears. Truly was nature a soothing experience to the mind when one understood its true beauty.

"Yo, got bored downstairs, kiddo?"

She turned to face the owner of the voice. Leaning his back on the railings, a tall man in a black suit and dark shades smoked a cigar. I say suit, but the guy wears it like a slob. His inner shirt's sleeves were rolled up messily over the coat's sleeve, revealing sunburned arms. He had no tie and the white shirt underneath was unbuttoned and wrinkled. The only area of his attire that was close to being called tidy was the slacks he wore down to the black shiny shoes and the buzz cut on his head. His face, however, was handsome, if not for the unshaved chiseled chin of his and the waxed mess of pulled back hair on his head. From first glance, one would think he was a playboy in his late twenties. Puffing up a small cloud that flowed with the breeze, he tossed two brown bars at the girl's direction.

"Here."

"What's this?" she asked, catching the two small bars with one hand. She noticed they were chocolate bars.

"I was wonderin' if you were hungry. Haven't had proper meals since we left Vacuo two days ago. Besides, you like chocolate, don't you?"

"Exactly how do sweets count as a meal?" she asked skeptically but pocketed them nonetheless.

"Well, sugar is a necessity. Think of it as emergency rations till ya get to Beacon. Then you can stuff your face at the cafeteria." Before she could argue on his questionable knowledge of nutritional values or rebut his rude remarks, he tossed another brown object in her direction once more.

"Your recommendation papers," he inhaled another puff as she caught the second object, a brown envelope. "Important documents you should give a professor named Goodwitch when you get there."

Opening up a slit at the edge, she peeked in to see a few papers and her photo.

"I already called ahead so she knows you'll be joining the Initiation group for tomorrow morning," he added. "But you'll still need those for the records."

She decided to store the documents in her case. But before she could hide it, she spotted a smaller envelope within.

"What's the second one for?"

"Oh, that?" He nervously scratched his chin. "That's uh... It's a letter."

"Who's it from?" she stared at the tall man. He paused before answering, turning the mood serious.

"Your old man," the second cloud of smoke drifted along as the ocean breeze kept the air salty.

She turned silent. With her gaze lowered, the girl asked quietly that it was almost drowned out by the sound of waves.

"Which one...?"

"Does it matter?" She didn't raise her gaze. She only continued to stare at his feet. Seeing her get depressed at his reply, the man clicked his tongue at his poor choice of words. He never really knew how to deal with children. Sensing his presence was just a bother right now, he flicked the nearly-burnt up cigar overboard and walked towards the exit.

"Listen... kid," he stopped, not turning to face her. "I... don't really know how to do this parent thing. Never had a kid myself before so... I don't really get the whole 'being tactful' thing parents' are supposed to do." He kept his back to her as he added. "But I'm sure your old man wouldn't want you mopin' around forever. No way your mother would want her little girl wastin' her time thinking negatively about it either."

"... Why would you think that?" she whispered, not actually asking. The words just slipped out.

"Cuz they were my best friends," he heard and replied. "They all were."

She winced at his use of past tense. Looking over her shoulder, the disheveled suited man continued towards the exit.

"Read it if you're ready. I'll be below deck if you need me."

The door closed behind him with a loud thud. Now all that remained on the observation deck was the young girl leaning over the railing as she held the envelope from her deceased parent. She breathed in the cool air and sighed as she shook off her nervousness.

'Might as well, right? I mean, it is from dad, so...' With that thought, she ripped open the envelope and took out the letter. She recognized the handwriting as her stepfather's and started reading.

'To my dear stepdaughter, if you're reading this, it must mean that both your mom and I are no longer around for you. As your second father, I'm sorry you had to lose a part of your family again. It was never our intention to add to the pain you had been feeling since your dad died. All we could say is this. We love you. Because we do, we had asked a favor from a friend of ours to take you in. In the event that anything should happen to the both of us, my and your dad's friend, Verne Hrothgar, would take you with him to the school he works in as a student. I know that it must be too sudden for you to even process, but your mother and I agreed that living as a Huntress-in-training at Beacon Academy would be safer for you than to leave you out there, beyond the walls. The city life never suited me or your mom, but if our daughter had higher chances of survival, we agreed that we would take it.'

The letter's contents were almost all that she expected. Parental love, wishful thinking, lingering regrets, all of those things she expected in a goodbye letter. It trailed on, emotionally reminiscing about the past. However, there was just one thing missing.

'Somehow, I never expected to write a letter to you of things to do after I die. I wish we could've enjoyed another hunting trip, just the three of us again, like a real family. Take care of yourself and remember. We're always with you. P.S. Try to get along with ol' Verney. He's not really the type who's good with kids, especially teenagers. Also, don't take what he says at face value. The guy's also not good at communicating, something your parents and I had a hard time dealing with. P.P.S. Make some good friends. I know it's hard for you to talk to strangers, but the least you could do is help those in need. If you want, start from there. Love, your stepfather, Lumen Sanctis.'

She nearly cried as she read the first and last letter her stepdad ever wrote to her. She sniffed, attempting to contain her emotions. What was it exactly? What was missing in this paper full of regret and love?

'I wonder why Father never liked living in the city.' She thought to herself while rereading the letter. She had a feeling she would find her answer by asking herself. 'Shade would've been a more practical choice. Why choose Beacon?'

There were so many questions she wanted to ask and only one she needed answered.

'Just how are they and that man friends? 'Hunting together again like a real family'? Weren't we already a real family? What am I supposed to do as a Huntress-in-training? Where am I supposed to go afterwards?'

What was the one thing she wanted to know the most?

"Why am I... the only one alive?" she whispered to herself a sad question. "No, that's not it."

She noticed what was missing in the letter.

"Why... Why did you... all die and leave me alone...?"

It had already been a year, yet it still felt like just another bad dream. Yes, approximately one year ago, she had a very bad dream, one where her home was ablaze. It was one where all the people she ever cared about were lost, one after another. The worse part of the dream was that she didn't know why she had lost it all. No reason as to why they died, why fate had to be so cruel. That turned it into a nightmare. And it was a nightmare she wished she could wake up from.

'(Sigh) The winds are picking up,' she thought as a swift breeze snapped her back to reality. Turning her gaze towards the front of the airship, the silhouette of a green tower came into view. 'After this ride, I'm there.'

She took one more look at the letter before tucking it away in the envelope the suited man gave her. She reread its contents. Her thoughts wandered to and fro until she settled on the last bit.

'Verne Hrothgar was his name, wasn't it? How should I refer to him, now that he's my guardian?' She suddenly remembered. ''Not good with kids', hmm...'

She adjusted her case's strap and headed towards the exit. But before she could reach out for the exit handle, the metallic door burst open with a bang, prompting her to jump out of the way and dropping her things as a streak of blonde hair rushed out to lean over the railings. At first, she thought the owner of the golden locks would jump overboard, but the retching sound that followed disproved the assumption. And here, she thought she was having a bad day.

"Uuuuurrrrrgggggghhhhh!"

At least, she wasn't alone in that regard. Staring from behind the opened door, the hooded girl watched silently. The lone figure leaned over the guard rails again, not enough to fall over the rails but just enough to continue throwing up without dirtying the deck.

"Uuurrrggghhh! Haaah...(cough)... haaah... How did...haaah... brother even...(cough #2)... make it here... urrghhuuggrh... in one piece...haaah...?"

Talking to herself in an unhealthy voice, she noticed it was a blonde young girl that continued to empty her stomach while wheezing for air. Her appearance was what you'd call a modern day knight. Wearing a deep-blue hoodie, she was armored with a silver-white, leaf-shaped chestplate, similarly colored spaulders, and a pair of steel gauntlets with vambraces. Her lower half had plated waist armor and shin guards over the light blue jeans and black sneakers she wore. Her hair, now that she got a good look from behind, was blonde in a pale shade. Silky and long, it was tied in a ponytail at the back with a single black ribbon tied in a bow. Her skin was fair, perfectly defining the innocent beauty of her face. All that beauty was tarnished by the fact that she was gagging over the side of the ship.

"Bluuuuuurrrrgggghhh! Haaah... Haaaah..."

It seemed like the girl had thrown up the last of it as she was now calmly inhaling mouthfuls of air. A hand on her stomach suggested that she was probably hungry after heaving up her last meal. Seeing as the blonde was probably fine now, she decided to leave quietly by sneaking in the open door. But before she could gather her stuff...

GUUUUUURRRRGGGHHHH

...just then, an inhumane growl made itself known. Judging by the hand on her stomach, it was probably the blonde leaning on the railings of the deck.

GGGUUUUUUUUURRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH

Yep, she was hungry.

"Just... a bit more... you can do it...If big brother made it... you can too..."

As the blonde muttered words of self-encouragement, the other girl on deck started deliberating on what to do. The blonde looked like she needed some help but she herself didn't want to involve herself with strangers. But then again, it would be a bit cold-hearted to just leave her there. Still, the blonde was oblivious to her presence. Meaning she didn't know anyone else was with her on the deck. It would be easy to sneak away without ever being noticed.

She decided. She was going to leave as quietly as possible. She lifted the rectangular case over her shoulders. But just as she was about to pick up the envelope, she noticed its contents were halfway spilling out. Picking up the papers, her eyes darted towards the last part of the letter.

'P.P.S. Make some good friends.'

She stopped moving. Clutching the paper and envelope full of documents, her hands dropped to her side while she looked up at the blue of the sky.

"'Start from there', huh..."

Digging a hand in one of her pockets, she put the documents away. She decided to try. Now wasn't really the best of times, but it was still better than never.

In another person's perspective...

GUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHH

'You really shouldn't have eaten those cinnamon rolls, Jeane...' The regret crossed her mind. 'You knew that you could get motion sick at any time you're onboard a moving vehicle, especially flying ones. Why didn't you eat before the ride...? Oh, yeah, that's right. You were so excited, you decided to skip eating so you could get on the ride to Beacon early.'

She reminisced the past few hours that had passed. No wait. Make that 'the past morning'.

'You were supposed to get to the station by 7AM. Instead, you had to get lost. So lost, that you wasted three hours just to get back on track and another hour waiting in line! What a genius way to prove to your sisters that you could handle travelling by yourself just fine! Even Lily would do a better job than you!'

She stood on the deck of the airship, wallowing in negative thoughts and self-blame. The cool winds calmed her mind but not her stomach, which, in the end, proved to be a problem for her mind as well.

"As long as I stay put, I probably won't pass out immediately like last time." A memory flashed by, one where she and her brother were thrown for a ride, trapped inside a flying vehicle and their sister on the wheel. "Probably."

"Um... excuse me... Are you alright?"

Turning around, she faced a girl about her age. Standing just an inch taller than her, the girl wore a hood and camo-print leather attire. She didn't wear any armor and her figure was made apparent by her tight-fit clothes. The rectangular case slung over her shoulder was just half her height but seemed to weigh lighter than it appeared.

"I'm fine," she replied. "Just trying to catch my breath."

"Are you sure? You look like you're about to faint."

"I appreciate your concern," smiling with gratitude, she replied to the kind stranger. "But as you can see, I am in perfectly good health."

GUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

Wincing in pain, the blonde leaned forward and fell to her knees as her hunger started to kick in again. Smiling with relief at the scene, the stranger pulled out something from her pocket.

"Here," she held out one of the two bars. "It's not good to travel on an empty stomach."

"No! Really, please! I'm fi–!"

GUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

Steaming red with embarrassment, she reluctantly accepted the gift.

"Thank you. Hmm?" She noticed what they were. "Chocolate?"

"It's not much," added the leather-clad girl. "But, at least, you won't be hungry until we get there."

"Thanks," with the candy bar in one hand, she held out the other for the girl to shake. "I'm Jeane by the way. Jeane Arc"

"Fran," the stranger reciprocated. "Fran Sanctis."

Letting out a nervous smile, Jeane graciously took a bite. She savored the taste as the sweet treat melted in her mouth.

"I'm really sorry for troubling you. You even shared your food with me."

"There's no need to apologize. One bar is enough for me," taking a bite out of her own bar of candy, Fran sat beside the blonde.

"This is really embarrassing. I don't usually get this hungry until after noon."

"Were you nervous about your first day at Beacon?"

"Well," she paused before continuing. "Maybe that's half the reason."

"What's the other half?"

Jeane became silent. Fran thought she touched a sensitive topic but suddenly realized the blonde was wearing a gentle smile.

"I'm probably excited about meeting my brother again."

Fran paused for a moment. Her hand holding the bar of chocolate drooped slightly, threatening to drop the half-eaten treat.

"You... have family at Beacon?"

"Yes. My brother's been studying there for nearly a year now. Today is the first time I get to see him in person again."

"So, I guess that puts him a year older than you."

"Oh," Jeane noticed the misunderstanding. "No, it doesn't. We're twins."

"Hm? Didn't you say he's been studying there for a year?"

"Yes, well," Jeane contemplated on how to answer. Her brother's circumstance was far from the 'rare case' and more of the 'illegal case'. If she slipped up, there's no telling what would happen to Jaune after. "Sadly, due to some circumstances, I wasn't able to join him last year."

"Hm..." Fran's gaze was making Jeane nervous. "So is your brother a good fighter?"

"Yes." Jeane's anxiety quickly dissipated as the talk shifted to her brother's skills. "He's been practicing with the family sword for as long as I can remember. When he wrote to us, he told us how he even fought and killed a Deathstalker during his Initiation." She smiled like a child in awe. She must've been as excited as one as she continued to ramble like one.

"But his fighting isn't the only good thing. He's a really good cook too. My older sisters usually tease him about how he 'would make a good wife' because of it, but he really is good. He made our favorite desserts just the way we like it during his first try. I particularly love his strawberry-topped, chocolate shortcake. He's also a good listener. Every time he brushes my hair for me, he'd usually listen to me while I tell him all about my problems and gives me good advice. Even our mom thinks he should just start his own hair salon. Jaune is also a hard worker. When something interests him, he would do all he could to achieve it. He is a bit clumsy sometimes but he makes up for it in effort."

The ecstatic blonde finally paused for a bit, taking the time to catch her breath. Just a simple question about her brother brought out this much praise from the girl. It was plain as day to Fran what this girl thought about her family.

"You seem proud of him." Fran noted how Jeane's tone was somehow cheerier whenever she referred to her brother. "He sounds like a reliable older brother."

"Yes, he is," she smiled as she answered. "I wouldn't replace him for anyone else in the world!"

The innocent smile Jeane wore was one that Fran couldn't sympathize with. After all, her family was...

"But enough about me. Do you have family at Beacon?" Jeane asked. "Fran?"

The tall girl's freckled face was slightly downcast and her lack of a reply meant she was troubled. At least, this is what Jeane assumed.

"Fran," she tried again. "Is something wrong?"

"Hm? Ah no. It's nothing." She answered on reflex. "A guardian of mine supposedly works at Beacon. So I guess you could say I do have family here."

Judging by the depressing silence that preceded her answer, Jeane was now sure that something was troubling her. But instead of pursuing the topic, she decided to stop there as it seemed too personal. They both finished their snacks in silence. The cool, flowing breeze and crashing waves down below was the only sound that could be heard. When the PA system announced their nearing arrival, Jeane decided to resume her cheery tone.

"It seems like we're almost there." Picking herself up, she dusted her rear end. The steel gauntlets clanged on her waist armor, causing Fran to suddenly snap back to reality. Before she could react, however,

"Here," Jeane held out a hand to help her up. "Thanks again for the snack, friend."

"Friend?" the tall girl tilted her head in confusion as she stood up.

"(Giggle) Well, what else do you call someone who helps out others in need? After all, mom said 'Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet.'"

Puzzled at Jeane's reply, Fran tilted her head even more. But as the blonde girl smiled and walked towards the exit, Fran remembered her father's letter.

'Help them out. Start from there,' she thought. "Friend, huh..."

She whispered that last bit to herself. But she thought the Arc heard her, when she turned to call out.

"Fran, let's go?"

Holding the exit open for her new friend, the bright smile she wore was somewhat blinding as it was innocent as a child's.

'Dear, mother, father and dad,' the tall girl wrote a mental letter, half-wishing she could actually write and send it to them. 'I met someone. She's a bit weird. She called me 'friend' right after meeting. But she seems nice. Wish me luck at Beacon. Love, your daughter, Fran.'

Just a few minutes after the ship had docked, a large number of students were pouring out into the docks. One of them, a tall young man, stopped in his tracks only to take in a breath of the cold air. He wore a grey t-shirt with one sleeve reaching down to his left wrist, dark-blue jeans and black boots. He combed his black hair that was in a simple short cut with his left hand, on which he wore a fully-fingered black glove. A pair of dog tags jingled around his neck as he turned to call his companion who had just stepped out of the exit of the airship behind him. His dark grey eyes lock on to a particularly flashy individual.

"We're here, Reus."

The golden blonde with contrasting brown skin made his appearance. Wearing a light-brown, leather motorcycle vest trimmed in red and cream-colored cargo pants, he wore steel-tipped boots over the cargo's leg ends. A single red sash with gold trims was tied to a belt on his waist. The boy named Reus used a hand in a fingerless glove to shade his crimson eyes from the sun as he gazed upon the area known as the grounds of Beacon Academy. A seemingly annoyed expression was all he wore as he looked up at the clear sky.

"Dammit, it's hot out," he said as he adjusted the red headband atop his golden spikes. "Aren't you sweating in this heat, Glaus?" Reus approached his friend who smiled before replying.

"You didn't expect it to be as cold as Atlas down here, did you?" Well, normally, no one would expect Sanus to be as cold as Solitas given their locations. "And, as a matter of fact, no. I've already gotten used to this temperature ever since we crossed the border."

"Damn you and your annoying adaptability." It was meant to be a comment to himself, but the boy named Glaus' good hearing must've kicked in as he replied back.

"You can't blame me for being prepared." Glaus then added. "Rather, you should be blaming your own lack of training."

"Tch," a tongue clicked. "Honor student really like to rub it in."

The comment by the boy in brown was shrugged off by the one in grey. Glaus wasn't really insulted by the snap. This was a normal thing for the two. In Glaus' opinion, Reus should be able to adapt to any climate as long as the situation demanded it. Now wasn't exactly one of those times. But there was no rush. After all, they've already arrived at their destination.

The duo continued their getting off of the airship. Since they were right on schedule, they were met by a massive crowd of teenagers who, like them, were fresh enrollees trying to enter the Huntsman Academy of the Kingdom of Vale. Following the instructions, they joined the group as they headed towards the Academy's main courtyard. Seeing as their destination was still a few minutes away, Reus decided to pass the time by taking in the layout of the surrounding area.

"Doesn't seem like they even planned to set up any walls around campus, didn't they? It's pretty much an open field around here."

"The school is built on top of a cliff with a sheer drop to the west," Glaus decided to offer his opinion. "Add the fact that a mountain ridge stretches from the south to the east plus a dense forest in-between the ridge and the school, walls are a waste of resources compared to the natural boundaries in place. Both land and air-based fronts are covered in this region of Sanus."

"What about the sea?" Reus argued. "Exactly how do they plan to counter sea-born Grimm?"

"Didn't read the news again, I see," Glaus pulled out his scroll fiddled around with it. After a while, he showed Reus an online news article. The headline read 'Vale Receives Aide: Atlesian Military Donates Several Ships to Valean Navy to Help Combat the Recently Discovered Sea-Grimm'.

"Apparently, the General put in a call to the Atlas council," he added. "They decided to send some help before announcing the recent discovery of the military's last recon mission. The General himself will be arriving in Vale in two days for the scheduled delivery. A ceremony will be held at the docks too."

"Hmph. Another ribbon-cutting event? Ironwood really enjoys playing politician." His calm expression was unable to mask the unpleasant tone he commented with. "Makes you wonder why he chose to remain a headmaster after taking up the role of general."

Glaus sighed at his friend's reply.

"You really should stop with the verbal attacks, Reus. It's unbecoming of an Atlesian Specialist candidate–"

"Former candidate," he corrected. "The ASC list contains only the names of selected students that attended the last two years in the Academy while being part of the top tier group. Coming to Vale forfeited that position."

"But you wouldn't even be able to study here if not for the General's connections," Glaus cut him off. "Meaning, even though you have no obligation to respect the man, you still do owe him one."

Reus didn't retort anymore but his silence didn't mean he would stop holding his former headmaster in contempt. When it came to the General, Reus would always talk this way. If their former instructors were to catch wind of his current attitude, no number of apologies Glaus could give would save his companion from punishment.

But the General, on the other hand, would just let it slide. It may seem surprising in an outsider's perspective, but they had their circumstances. And, yes. A part of those circumstances has led these two to transfer to Vale rather than continue their training in Atlas.

Just as their conversation ended, they had arrived at an amphitheater. A raised stage surrounded by an even more elevated semicircular seating platform, the hall was extremely large. It still had a large amount of free space while accommodating the large number of students that continued to pour in. Quite a number of youngsters collected in one place made for a rowdy crowd. The noise was amplified even more so by the echoes in the hall. But all the whispering and chit-chat died down when the lights suddenly dimmed and two teachers made their appearance.

The first was a beautiful blonde in a white blouse and a pencil skirt. She wore boots that tapped every time she took a step and a purple-back cape that swayed behind her. Taking position by the back, her stern green eyes scanned the room as if she was searching for any troublemakers amongst the audience. Following behind her was someone even more eye-catching. Clad in an unzipped black suit, dark-green pants, black trouser shoes and a green cowl around his neck with a cross-shaped pin, a middle-aged man with a cane and disheveled silver hair climbed the stage. Taking up his position behind the mic, the silver-headed man spoke.

"Good day. I am Professor Ozpin, the headmaster of this Academy. Seeing as it's already noon, I'll keep this speech short. For those of you who have come to this school to follow your dreams of becoming a Huntsman or Huntress, I welcome you to our doorstep and guarantee that we, as professionals in our field, will teach you all there is to know about being one of the best. Our Academy will not withhold anything for the sake of sharpening your skills and improving your talents."

A round of applause was given to the headmaster. A few members of the audience even whistled and cheered. However, Ozpin was not yet done and raised a hand to calm the excited youths. Starting from there, Ozpin's tone turned a little darker.

"However, for those of you that have different motives for enrolling in Beacon, I ask that you keep this in mind. Our school can only give you knowledge, awareness if you will. But during your stay here in Beacon, you must understand that knowledge is not purpose. I must warn you. Not having a true sense of direction here will only be disadvantageous, both for you and the rest of your fellow classmates. While enrolled in this school, you must remember: A single member's problem could become their team's weakness. Therefore, I urge you all to know where you stand in your life and be aware of where you're heading. Wasted energy cannot save humanity from the creatures of Grimm."

Leaving the stage as soon as he finished, Ozpin's words were left to be discussed by a confused, chattering crowd. Not one of the students even tried to applause as it seemed they were all filled with bewilderment by his words. The female teacher that stood behind the headmaster now took the mic and tapped it a couple of times to call attention.

"Students, my name is Professor Goodwitch," she introduced herself. "Tonight, you will all gather at the ballroom where you will be sleeping for the night. Tomorrow, your Initiation begins. Until this evening, you are free to spend the afternoon as you please. The school's facilities are free for you to use, even first year students have this permission. Provided you will comply with the rules as future students of this academy. Good day to you all and be ready. You're dismissed."

Glaus gave a glance over to his partner. Reus had been leaning his back to the wall and had his head in a bow with his eyes closed. He had been doing so ever since they entered the hall. It was as if he slept through the headmaster's speech. He didn't even flinch when the crowd burst into applause or when Ozpin ended his speech. But Glaus knew better. His friend wasn't even close to pretending to be asleep.

"Reus," he gave him a nudge, to which the blonde gave him a glance. "Wanna grab a bite to eat?"

"..." He replied with a nod. Neither said a word as the surrounding area was already too loud to converse in normally.

The chatter had resumed as soon as the teachers left the stage. And with the instructors gone, the noise was overbearing. One by one, the hall began to empty. A number of the students began to separate from the group, most likely to wander around and explore the campus. The majority, however, moved towards the dining hall where most of the students from the upper year levels where enjoying their lunch. The gold and grey duo joined the rest of their soon-to-be-fellow-classmates.

Finding an empty table was easy. The place was too spacious to be filled just by the new first years to begin with. Once they finished selecting their food, the two sat opposite each other in the empty corner. Both of them had a simple lunch order, a ham sandwich apiece.

Just as Reus was about to take bite into his food, he spotted his friend tearing a piece off of his. Glaus dips the torn portion, meat and bread, into his drink. He was having a piping-hot cup of cafè latte, colored brown with sweet milk. Unbelievably, he eats the now-soggy portion as if it was normal. Reus wondered who could eat a perfectly normal ham sandwich turned sweet by a milk coffee blend.

"What's up?" Noticing his friend's gaze upon him, the guy in grey breaks the silence as he ate.

"No matter how many times I see it," Reus answered. "I still think that habit of yours is disgusting."

'?'

Glaus glanced opposite his seat. Reus had a hand on his food but it wasn't even close to his mouth. The other hand was on the table top, tracing the handle of his coffee mug.

"What's got you worked up?"

"..." The blonde resumed his eating, trying dodging the question.

'Running away again? He always does this.' Glaus finished up half his bread before speaking again, this time in a lower tone. "Normally, you don't take notice of my eating habits unless something's bothering you. So, what's wrong?"

"..."

"Aureus."

Calling out his best friend's first name seemed to do the trick as the brown-skinned blonde stopped eating to stare at him. Bloody crimson met night grey eyes, but the first to back down from the stare off was the red-eyed boy.

"What's wrong?" Glaus repeated.

Reus took a gulp from his drink, evidently trying to focus.

"Ozpin's speech," he answered.

'So he was listening,' Glaus thought to himself before replying. "What about it?"

"The second half? The one about 'teams'."

"Ah..." Glaus winced. 'He noticed it too.'

"Ironwood said this school was a good place to lie low while continuing our training. How exactly do we do that if we have more people to worry about?"

Glaus scanned their surroundings. Aureus said all that in a whisper, but being extra careful never hurt anyone. After confirming that no one was listening in, he answered.

"The General wouldn't have recommended a place that would be disadvantageous to us. He probably knows something we don't. For all we know, we could be teamed up with people sent by the General–"

"That's not the problem!" Reus slammed a balled fist on the table, catching a few stares from the neighboring seats. After the onlookers decided to look away, Reus continued. "The problem is more people could get involved. More of them could get hurt."

Glaus remained silent. He already knew what his companion was going to say. This was something they already discussed a while back.

"If the General sent them, they will know what they need to know. They won't be considered outsiders if they accepted it voluntarily all the while knowing what they're up against."

"That doesn't make me feel any better. Leaving Atlas wouldn't have made a difference if more people get involved with us anyway. Not to mention, the security here is too lax. The number of staff and students to blend into is one thing, but this campus is too lightly guarded."

"We still don't have any other choice." Glaus answered. "We're here. We can't do anything about it now. All we can do is trust the General's decision."

'(Damn Ironwood. He probably knew from the start and didn't tell us anything.) is probably what he's thinking by now.'

"... Damn that Ironwood..."

Judging by the word's that Reus let slip, Glaus' guess on his friend's thoughts were just about correct. Well, it's not as if he didn't sympathize with his partner. Not openly discussing their circumstances with just anyone was already a precaution they had to take. But if they were to be forced into teams, being interrogated by their teammates was another matter entirely. Trusting people who had your back was even harder to do when they kept secrets from you.

Surveying their surroundings, Glaus studied the other first years that were currently in the dining hall with them. Many didn't seem to be from Vale judging by their appearance. A number of them had fancy clothing that would suggest their origin from Mistral. Others had gruff exteriors that indicated a life beyond kingdom walls like nomads from Vacuo. What they look like aside, how they act was more noticeable. There were many under the category of quiet and docile. But the same could be said about the feisty and excited in the room. If one were to hide a needle in a haystack, then standing out in this school was definitely difficult.

Glaus remembered their past school. In the combat school of Atlas Academy, the entire student body was uniformed according to their departments. Discipline was also a core element in that school. Regardless of whether you were in the lower or higher education level, you could easily spot Reus in the crowd. It wasn't just his looks. His attitude could be recognized as that of an outsider from a mile away. Unlike Glaus, he wasn't raised an Atlesian and had difficulty adopting the school's policies.

Beacon, however, was full of different people from different kingdoms. Anyone could hide without even trying. But that didn't help their problem if they needed to be involved with others on a personal level.

Wait. There was a solution.

"As long as we keep it a secret, there would be no problems."

Reus lifted his gaze to the person sitting opposite him. Glaus wore a calm expression and directed it at his friend.

"What're you saying?" he said.

"Don't talk about it, and no one will ask about it." Glaus rephrased the suggestion.

"I still don't follow."

Glaus clasped his hands before his face and explained in a low enough tone that only Reus could hear.

"As long as we don't ask about their past, they shouldn't be as curious about ours. Even if they start the conversation, all we have to do is dodge the question and say we don't want to talk about it."

Reus considered his friend's words for a moment before understanding what he meant. It was true that to work well as a team, you needed to trust your teammates. But in no way did it require the involved parties to elaborate on their pasts. Respecting privacy was also among the other elements required of people you worked with. So as long as you didn't involve yourself personally, there was no way for it to be so, hence making it easier to keep their secret without compromising the team's trust.

"It may work," Reus agreed.

"It will work," Glaus affirmed.

'She was right. Even now, he's always worried about others when it comes to these kinds of things. I guess I lost our bet...' A smile formed on Glaus' face which his partner didn't fail to spot.

"What're you smirkin' about?"

"Nothing," he took a sip from his cup of latte. "Just thinking that I owe someone I lost a bet with."

Reus made a puzzled expression, wondering who his friend made a bet with. Meanwhile, Glaus finished his sweet caffeinated drink, reminiscing the past as he did.

'...If you could see him now, I wonder what you'd say...'

Following his grey-clad companion's lead, Reus downed his drink in one go. The contents had turned cold by the time they finished their discussion and he was already done eating as well.

"Gah...ugh..." Reus coughed a bit. "Damn speech had me stressed out."

"Wanna spar later?" Glaus suggested. "They said we're free to use the school's facilities so long as we follow the rules."

Fun fact: Aureus likes to vent his stress by hitting things. Although as far as Glaus could remember, anyone who tried to face a stressed Reus unprepared would end up in the medical ward for almost a week. It wasn't a good thing. So he took it upon himself to be the stress-relieving ragdoll.

"Yeah, sure," the boy replied dryly. "I'm gonna go get some water."

It seemed like his drink got him thirsty. It was somewhat curious.

"I'll wait right here. Don't get distracted," Glaus advised. "Stay alert and stay low."

"Don't have to remind me." With that, Reus left.

Glaus, left alone at the table, glanced at the empty coffee mug Reus was using earlier. Traces of the previous contents stained the bottom. Some foam was also imprinted on the sides. Glaus didn't even need to sniff the mug to know what Reus was drinking. He knew his old partner well enough to even remember his habits. Double-shot espresso without any sugar or cream and a thick layer of foam on top, obviously bitter as hell. He remembered seeing Reus head towards the coffee maker just before they grabbed their sandwiches.

'So this was what made him cough.' Reus never really drank bitter things unless he was trying too hard to focus. Their previous discussion proved that. 'All this time, he was genuinely worried about involving someone else in our problems.' Glaus remembered something else. Something a particular someone told him a while back.

("Reus may act like he doesn't care, but, sometimes, that's when he's actually worried the most. If he can't take it anymore, he'll help in his own way. Even if he...")

"'...does it to the point of overstepping his boundaries', huh?"

Taking into account that Reus was pretty much a good guy in all aspects, despite how unfriendly he appeared to strangers, he would lend a hand to almost anyone as long as it was the right thing to do. Faunus, human, child, or elderly, none of it mattered as long as he could be of some help. The thought of his friend wanting to lend a hand whilst he acted indifferently was pretty amusing. Glaus smiled at the idea that his old pal had such an adorable quirk. But if he were to say it out loud, he might earn himself a kick to the side of the head.

'Speaking of which, where was Aureus? The water dispenser wasn't too far from here–?'

"LOOK OUT!"

CRASH

The sound of a girl's scream of warning and something crashing into the wall made Glaus to jump in attention. As soon as he stood from his seat, he tried to grasp the situation. Two first year boys were standing in the center of the hall. One of them was tall and burly, the other, shorter and scrawnier. The taller held a metal bat in both hands and appeared to be recovering from throwing a large swing. There was a dust cloud in the wall where they were facing. Also, a Faunus girl was sitting on the floor near the two boys whilst gingerly holding one of what seems to be her mouse ears and her tail.

'Did Faunus always have more than one animal trait? Wait, Reus first! Where is he?!'

Glaus glanced back and forth. No sign of the tanned blonde anywhere. Which means...

Fact listings: two first years, one of them armed, one Faunus on the ground, appears to be injured, hole in the wall, and a missing Reus. Keeping in mind, Reus is the type to help those in need (even if he oversteps his boundaries).

"Oh god, please no," Glaus assumed the worst.

The dust cloud settled. And out of the wall, an all-too-familiar blonde figure became visible.

"Is that all ya got?"

"You have got to be shitting me…"

Glaus face-palmed at the sight of his friend, said friend who wanted to lay low, and now, had drawn the eyes of everyone in the mess hall.

.

.

.

"Godammit Aureus…"

Rewinding a few minutes back, just outside the mess hall,

GUUUUUUURRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHH

"Sorry for getting you lost with me..."

"No worries! It's not your fault."

A young girl with a messy blonde ponytail was apologizing to her companion, a taller girl with a leather-padded jacket and hood.

"I'm really, really sorry, Fran!" the blonde persisted in apologizing. "If I hadn't suggested that we find my older brother so I could introduce my new friend, this wouldn't have happened!"

"I said it's fine, Jeane," the taller of the two reassured her. "Besides, I enjoyed the walk around the campus with you."

'Although the layout of the main courtyard is now permanently ingrained into my memory thanks to the seven times we circled around it.' Of course, Fran left out the latter part in her train of thought. The pair of girls continued their walk towards the nearby entrance of the hall.

GUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGHHHH

"I promise I'll make it up to you. I just wanted you to meet him so badly right now."

"Okay, but first, could we maybe have lunch?" She had a hand to her stomach as she said this. "You were starving just a few minutes ago. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine for now. I don't know how, but just talking about brother makes all my worries go away so I'm currently feeling all right."

'Was that really something to be proud of?' Fran kept this thought to herself as well.

GUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH

Though it was regrettable that their lunch break was pushed back quite a bit, she really did enjoy the time she spent with the Arc girl. Just hearing her talk about her family's stories, particularly her six other sisters' antics involving her twin, was more fun than she anticipated. 'Is this what it's like to have friends?' was what she had been thinking about all this time.

GUUUUUURRRRRRGGGGHHHHH

There was just one thing that perked her interest though.

"Hey," Fran straightened herself up for a bit. "Tell me something."

"Hm?" Jeane wore a seemingly innocent face filled with curiosity. "What is it?"

"Why are you so adamant on introducing me to your brother? I mean, since we're here at Beacon, we could meet up with him anytime later. So, why are you so fixated on me meeting him right now?"

It was a sensible question. The fact that the two, mainly Jeane, had been starving since this morning had almost been forgotten as soon as the headmaster's speech ended. Because Jeane had been excitedly talking about him so much, Fran expressed her desire to meet him some time later. Never would she have thought that Jeane would select right now as the time though.

"Well," the Arc twiddled with one of her golden locks. "Promise me you won't laugh."

"I promise."

"Cross your heart?"

Fran stopped walking and drew an X on the left side of her chest, signifying that she will stay true to her word and not ridicule Jeane no matter what she says. A shy smile formed on the blonde's face as she prepared herself. Trying to be considerate, she leaned closer, lending her an ear. She came close to Fran, apparently not wanting others to hear her.

"I actually wanted to introduce him to the first friend I ever made on my own."

Jeane pulled away, idly twiddling her fingers while waiting for Fran's reaction. The freckled girl in question, on the other hand, made a slightly awkward smile as she did not understand what her first friend at Beacon just said.

"Why are you laughing? You promised you wouldn't!"

Jeane embarrassedly puffed her cheeks as she said this in a whisper. Now, to this adorable sight, Fran let slip a giggle.

"You're still laughing!"

"No, I'm not! I promise," Waving off the shorter girl's worries, she explained herself. "It's just that I didn't understand what you meant when you said that first. And seeing how you reacted, I found it so cute."

Guilty at finding her friend's reaction adorable, Fran was forgiven for giggling. But Jeane still kept her cheeks puffed as she crossed her arms and started her explanation.

"Ever since I was little, my twin brother Jaune had always been taking care of me. Among my seven sisters, I was the most easily scared. When it came to greeting strangers or petting little animals, I always hid behind his back out of habit and didn't budge unless he encouraged me to try. Unless Jaune became friends with them first or when he approached the animals before I did, I would never even come close to trying. That's the reason why I had never made friends on my own before. I had never left his side at all, that is, until he left for Beacon."

"Must've been hard for you," Fran whispered. "Seeing your brother leave."

"The worst part about it is that I never _saw_ him leave." She sounded about to cry as she said this. "The last time I saw him was during one of our family's off days. Jaune and Dad had a fight about him wanting to leave for Beacon, but Dad didn't want to allow it. Not one of us sisters could get in between them. Even Mom couldn't because she sided with Dad's decision."

Fran listened to Jeane's low voice. It was almost too low to be called a whisper, but Fran could hear it. She could definitely sense the sadness and pain in her voice as if her ears were right next to Jeane's lips. Why though? She couldn't say. It was a secret after all.

"The next day, Jaune disappeared. We were all worried sick for a few months. The first time we got his letters, Mom started crying before we could finish reading them. They were all written about good news and he always wrote a letter for each of us. He knew we liked it best when he made the effort to write to each of us personally. After a while, things started to go back to normal. But even then, I wasn't satisfied. I asked my father to train me and, after several forceful attempts, I managed to get him to approve. And here I am now."

After Jeane told her story, she turned quiet. Receiving a brief summary about the events in Jeane's life over the year, all Fran could do was listen. The silence between the two persisted. Students went along with their business while the pair stood quiet at the edge of the hallway.

'...Seems like I'm not the only one who was missing family...'

To Fran, it was as if Jeane was remembering the past in depth. She had no idea of the pain Jeane had been facing up till now. Somehow, she also regretted delaying their sibling reunion as well. She felt bad. So she decided that her stomach could wait.

"Ahem," Fran cleared her throat, getting Jeane's attention. "After hearing all that, I want to meet him even more now. So," Fran made a nervous smile. "When can you introduce me?"

Jeane looked as if she couldn't believe her ears. For a moment, her eyes shone. The next moment, she was jumping up and down with a smile on her face.

"You are going to love him! He's going to love you too!"

Apparently, Fran's choice of words had managed to transform Jeane from a seemingly beautiful young lady to a child in an amusement park. She was ecstatic to say the least.

"Oh, I can't wait anymore! I'm so excited! Let's go find him!"

GUUUUURRRRRGGGGGHHHHH

Oh yeah. Having just arrived at Beacon, they didn't know exactly where her brother was. So they also needed to find him first, before Jeane could introduce them, before they could even grab a bite to eat.

.

.

.

Okay, Fran was regretting the situation she had put herself into right now.

"This is great! Once I introduce you to Jaune, you can see how amazing he really is in person! You can also have a taste of his cooking!"

'Oh, maybe that will be worth the wait' is what Fran thought. Actually, she couldn't think anymore. She felt so hungry right now that all she could do was walk beside her blonde friend as she chatted her about Jaune, again. Fran already knew that he made great desserts. She wondered whether he could cook something that could solve her growling stomach's problem. Starving as she was, her focus was all over the place. So much so that she failed to notice the student she bumped into.

BAM

"..."

"Hey!"

Fran fell to the floor on her left side, too weak to even react. The one she bumped didn't fall over but sounded mad.

"Fran!" Jumping to her side, Jeane had a worried look. "Are you okay? What happened? Why did you fall over?!"

GUUURRRRGGGHHH

That answered her question.

"Oh, Fran, I'm so sorry." She apologized as she noticed how hungry her friend was. "Come on. Let's go to the infirmary first."

But before the blonde could help Fran up to her feet...

"Hey! Watch where you're going, loser!"

The one Fran bumped into called out over to them. A boy from one of the older levels, he wore the Beacon Academy uniform. But the conspicuous thing about his image was the light-green mohawk atop his shaved head. Although the image didn't suit him, Jeane stood up to apologize.

"I'm really sorry about that! It was my fault my friend had bumped into you."

"Your 'sorry's ain't worth anything." The boy stood before her with an intimidating look. He was just about her height and glared directly at her in the eyes. "Get her to apologize. Then we're even."

He said this while gesturing over to Fran who was struggling to sit-up on the floor. One of her hands was pulling on the edge of her hood, trying to keep it down. Well, it was already pulled down as low as it could be, so there was nothing for her to worry about. But the growing number of onlookers was worrying her.

"She can't right now. But she's also sorry, so please..."

Jeane tried to apologize in her friend's steed but...

"Hey!" another voice interrupted them. "What's going on, Russel?"

Another boy also wearing the school's uniform approached them. He had burnt orange hair, combed backwards with a slight peak upfront, and indigo eyes. He was taller and more beefy than the boy called Russel, about a head above him at least.

"This freak bumped into me!"

"I said we're sorry!"

"Screw you, I was talkin' to her!"

"Hey!"

SLAP

Jeane was expecting the newcomer to join in on Russel's side, but she didn't expect him to hit his companion on the back of the head. Russel also probably never expected it as he turned to face the taller boy with a look of confusion.

"Ow, man! What was that for?!"

"You're makin' a scene, idiot! If Goodwitch finds us pickin' on first years during the first day of the semester, detention is the least of our problems!"

Turning around, the tall, muscular boy started to walk away and Jeane was grateful that he didn't try to start a fight either. She was grateful, knowing that there were some who didn't want to start a ruckus. She was about to return to Fran's side when the boy named Russel spoke.

"Don't think this is over, losers! Hey, Cardin, wait up!"

'...Cardin...'

"Might you be Cardin Winchester?"

She directed her question to the larger of the two. As she waited for an answer, she faced their direction with a solemn silence. The boys must've been thick-headed as they failed to notice the dark aura that enveloped the blonde.

"Yeah? Who's askin'?" was his reply as he glanced over his shoulder.

'...I see...'

Before anyone could blink, the floor where Jeane stood cracked and the blonde had disappeared. She reappeared next to Cardin Winchester on his left. Her right elbow struck his midsection, causing him to awkwardly bend over to his left side as his waist moved in the opposite direction. Twisting her body to follow up, she caught the back of his legs with her left foot. For a single moment, this made the large boy almost float in the air. Not losing her momentum, the third strike, a right-hand jab, was a straight hit to his side. It was so powerful that it sent Cardin flying straight at the wall while his body rotated in midair.

CRASH

The force of the hit, combined with the boy's weight, caused the wall to crumble to pieces. A sizeable hole was clearly visible. A cloud of dust and dirt erupted, clouding up the entire hallway. Jeane thought she used too much force as nothing stirred after she sent the guy flying. But it didn't matter. She already finished fixing one of her brother's 'problems'. That was enough for her.

"Hey! Get back here!"

Russel, who barely saw his leader quickly dispatched by the blonde, set his sights on the smaller girl's back. He didn't know how she caught Cardin by surprise, but he targeted Jeane nonetheless. Although unarmed, she was too. This made things even,

"Haaaaah−Guhoooooh!"

Or so he thought.

Russel had planned on grabbing Jeane by the shoulder and giving her a surprise haymaker, but the joke was on him. Without turning to face her opponent, she sent her right heel into his gut. Reeling back from the pain, Russel failed to notice her right elbow that she swung at his chin from below. This sent him flying up towards the ceiling. But before he could ascend further than a meter, Jeane grabbed one of his legs, pulled it down, and used her free hand to punch the poor boy in the gut. In less than a minute, Russel Thrush had his back planted into the floor with a huge cloud of dust and debris around him and a half-dead look on his face.

"Whew, that was close…"

Jeane wiped the sweat from her brow and decided to head over to Fran's side. She needed to bring her to the infirmary after all. She slipped past the crowd of spectators that had gathered at the sound of the crashing. Ignoring them was easy as they didn't seem to notice who started, and ended, the encounter. Only a few seemed to notice, like that blonde teacher with a riding crop and a large scroll pad in her hands that stood by Fran. She seemed to be looking at the images projected on the semi-transparent device while glancing in Jeane's general direction. One of the images showed a blonde girl assaulting a student in slow motion–... Oh... Wait…

"Prof–Professor Goodwitch! W–w–what brings you here?! Eheheh..." Jeane switched from violent assaulter to innocent bystander in the face of the beautifully pissed-off instructor.

Anyone could tell she was angry. The air around her seemed to drop to several degrees in temperature when she was. Riding crop in hand, Glynda Goodwitch was assessing the situation that had transpired with an expression as sharp as a newly forged sword. With the use of the hallway cameras, she managed to record the incident and distinguish the culprits. She did not look happy… Not in the slightest... Not at all… Nope…

"Excuse me, Ms. – Ms. Arc?" she checked Jeane's student profile using her scroll. "I would like to ask you a few questions."

"Y–Yes, ma'am!" Jeane tried to make her most innocent-looking smile of all. "How can I be of assistance?"

"Tell me." She gestured with her crop. "Is that Mr. Winchester underneath the rubble over there?"

"Why yes. Yes, it is," Jeane replied with a smiling-hard-like-her-life-depended-on-it face.

"And I'm assuming the one on the floor back there is Mr. Thrush."

"You're correct. Yes ma'am," she was sweating buckets now.

"What, pray tell, would be their reason for being under all that mess?"

"Well, we were in the middle of a demonstration, ma'am."

"A demonstration?" Glynda raised an eyebrow. "One where you mercilessly assaulted two others without warning?"

"Ah–..." Jeane didn't reply for a moment. She was desperately thinking of a way to counter the statement. "Mr. Winchester was demonstrating to us how to NOT take a hit from an ambusher while his friend was showing us how to NOT ambush someone?"

"Young lady, I asked the question. Don't give me one for an answer."

"I'm sorry, ma'am," For fear of being reprimanded even more, Jeane decided to apologize. "It was my fault."

"Hm," Goodwitch adjusted her glasses. "Well then, I will escort you and Ms. Braunbar to the infirmary before we talk about your punishment."

"I understand, ma'am," she replied with an apologetic bow. However, Jeane was curious at what the teacher said. 'Who was Ms. Braunbar?'

"Now, as for Mr. Winches–?"

CRASH

"Hm? Oh, what is it now?!" the teacher paused with her words. "You there, get someone to help you bring those two to the infirmary. Ms. Arc, follow me. Bring her and stay close."

Professor Goodwitch walked in the direction of the wreckage but not before barking her orders to Jeane while gesturing over to Fran. She did as she was told and carefully carried the dazed girl over her shoulder. Her friend was her priority, but Jeane was equally curious as to what got the teacher's attention as well. Looking over at the dissipating dust cloud, movement of someone with golden hair standing caught her attention. Just as the Professor arrived at the scene, a voice yelled out.

"Okay! My turn!"

Rewinding back (just around the same time Fran and Jeane were talking outside of the mess hall), someone else was having problems within the hall.

Her name was Shei.

To Shei, Beacon was an amazing place. The dorms were comfortable. The school grounds were spacious. The equipment was of the latest models. There was just one thing about Beacon that she never expected of a school designed to train the defenders of the world.

"Please, let me go!"

"Hahahahah. The rat speaks."

"Hey, freak. Aren't your germs contagious?"

"Please stop. It hurts!"

"Says the disease-covered animal."

Sheila Strega was a Faunus. Like any other day, there were people who would glare at her Faunus heritage with scorn and anger. Sometimes, they would spit or throw insults at her, but she didn't expect anyone to physically assault her on the first day she arrived at Beacon. Shei's white-tipped ears had caught the attention of two students. The one that grabbed her right ear was a tall, burly first year while his shorter, scrawnier, partner threw insults and jeers one after the other. Like her, they were first years who have yet to pass Initiation.

"Please stop it!"

"You heard somthin'?"

"What? All I hear is 'squeak' 'squeak'."

Shei was fine if it were only laughs and insults. Contrasting her rather delicate appearance, she was mentally prepared for the discrimination given to her by humans for being a Faunus. But to have her ear violently pulled as she was looking for a place to sit was something she wasn't ready for. The teachers weren't around to stop the bullies. The other first years were of no help at all either. The people around them just ignored her cries.

"Hey, check out this tail."

"Geez, that's disgusting."

"OWW! Stop that!"

The bullies were now tormenting her tail. Shei was in intense pain. Her tail was an extension of her spine. This made it even more sensitive than her ears. If it suffered any kind of injury, it could cause paralysis, or worse.

"Please. No more. What did I ever do to you?!" Shei pleaded.

"Hey, I've been wonderin'." The bully spoke to Shei's ear.

"Huh?"

"How did an animal like you get into this school?"

"What do you mean? I took the combat exam like everyone else."

"What're ya talkin' about? I don't remember them ever allowin' an animal to take the exam."

"Hahahaaah. Nice one bro."

As the bully who had an iron grip on her right ear spoke, the shorter one laughed enthusiastically. Shei was trembling in fear. She could handle verbal abuse and name-calling, but she couldn't handle physical pain. Unlike words, physical injuries left scars.

Just as the bully was about to yank on her ear and tail once more,

"Hey, mind if I join you guys?"

"..."

"..."

"?"

A dark-skinned boy with golden hair approached the group, a small grin etched on his face. Noticing the newcomer, the bullies glared at him.

"What? You want some of this?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. I want to join in on your fun."

The stranger continued to smile like an idiot while the bullies quickly discussed their options. After a while, the bullies smiled at each other. Then the tall one said,

"OK then. Grab the freak's ear."

"You got it!"

Cowering once again, Shei prepared her left ear for the pain. But the ear-pulling never came. Instead,

"OWWOWOWOWO!"

"Oh? What do you know?! This is fun!"

"Hey! What the hell're ya doin'?"

"I'm pulling the 'freak's ear' like he told me to."

"OWOWWWOWOWO! LET ME GO! I SAID LET GO!"

Shei felt her right ear being released from the painful grip. Lifting up her face, Shei saw an unbelievable sight. The new arrival was pulling on the taller bully's right ear with his left hand while smiling stupidly. The bully was out of balance as the stranger was shorter than him but tried to resist awkwardly.

Using his right hand, he tried to grab the golden-haired boy's vest collar, only to have his hand twisted and pinned to his own back by the blonde's own right. Having one hand pinned and an ear tormented, the bully was pushed down onto a nearby table.

"LET GO ALREADY!"

"Oh? Did the 'freak' talk just now? All I hear is 'squeal' 'squeal'. Hahahah!"

"STOP THAT!"

"How strange." The blonde got closer to talk directly into the ear in his grip. "For someone that enjoys hearing other's cry in pain, you sure don't like the sound of your own."

It was meant to be a whisper, but Shei's heritage helped her make the words out. Shei's eyes moved to the stranger's face. He still wore a grin, but Shei had an instinctive feeling. His smile wasn't filled with delight. Not even close.

"LET GO, DAMN IT!"

"All right, you said it."

The stranger finally let go of the bully's ear. But instead of releasing, he pulled on the bully's pinned arm, sending the tall, brawny boy crashing on top of his lean-built partner. As the two tormenters lay on the floor, the golden haired boy turned and approached Shei. Trembling in fear, Shei cowered into a ball, covering both her ears with a hand each.

"You alright? They didn't hurt you too badly, did they?"

Shei didn't budge.

"Look, I mean no harm. It's alright."

To show his being a friendly, he raised both hands as if in surrender before stretching one of them to her.

"..."

Shei slowly lifted her face to look at the stranger. The boy was holding out a hand to her. Staring back at hers, his reddish-brown eyes carried no hate or fear. His smile was now filled with warmth and had a childish innocence to it.

"See? I don't want to hurt you."

Slowly, Shei took his hand and stood up.

"You're not afraid of people like me?" Shei asked.

"Hmm? Why should I be? Did you do something to make me scared?" The boy asked.

Shei was confused for a moment. A stranger comes to save her out of the blue and now that same person was asking why she should be afraid. Flustered, she almost didn't notice the bat flying behind the boy's head too late.

"LOOK OUT!"

A loud sound of metal smashing into flesh could be heard. Shei could only gasp in shock as the boy was sent flying into the wall across the hall, two table rows away, sending dust and debris flying all over the crash area. The surrounding students began to scatter away from their seats. Some were concerned enough to continue looking. Others took it upon themselves to leave immediately.

Standing with a giant metal bat in hand, the bully whose ear was pulled breathed heavily after swinging the bat which looked to be twice his weight.

"How do ya like that, ya prick?!"

"You got him, bro! Hahahah."

The two bullies laughed away as they thought they had won, but the dust cloud betrayed their senses.

"Is that all ya got?"

The dust subsided and a voice, full of vigor and energy sounded to interrupt the two celebrating boys. The bullies, dumbstruck into silence, began to quiver. The Faunus girl, on the other hand, was relieved. His voice sounded again, this time, shouting out as if to challenge.

"Okay! My turn!"

Jumping on top of the table in front of him, Aureus kicked off in a dash, his steel-tipped boots scattering trays of food all around. Quickly stepping past the contents of the tables, he jumps from the first table to the second in a flash. Before the bully could fully swing his bat in retaliation, Aureus had already planted his boot on the bully's nose. Using the large bully's face as a footing, he performs a back flip to avoid the incoming barrel of the bat. As it misses Aureus' by a hair's width, it continues its arc path into the shorter bully's jaw, effectively knocking him out.

As the first bully recovers his bearings, he realizes his weapon had accidentally knocked out his only ally and that he was now alone. Face to face with Aureus, who had positioned himself on top of the nearest table, he raises his bat once more, ready to swing but sweating in anxiety.

The spectators all watched with bated breath as such a brawl had never once occurred in the history of Beacon Academy (Well not the official one anyway).

Now facing only one opponent, Aureus' smile had turned into a devilish grin. He crouched on top of the table, now at the same eye-level as his foe. Stretching his grin, he spoke again in a more intimidating tone.

"So, what do you wanna do? You could run and escape or I could finish this now. What will it be?"

Reus waved each of his hands as he stated his options, the first towards the door on his left, the second towards the ground.

"RAAAAAGH!"

Raising his bat in a fury, the bully charges Aureus with a battle cry.

"Big mistake."

Quicker than the bat could swipe, the blonde youth dove towards the bully. He gripped the bully's right-hand wrist with his left hand and sent his right elbow into the tall boy's right rib cage. As he was in a low position, he swiped his opponent's footing with his own. This forced the bully to lose balance and fall to his back. But before his body could connect with the hard, tiled floor, Reus grabs his forehead. A burst of light erupted from his palm, blinding all that were in the vicinity, before he forces it down, effectively knocking the boy out with a light head smash, or a light-head smash. (Whatever you want to call it)

When the light faded away, the tall first year lay on the floor unconscious. His giant bat lay at his side. Dusting his hands, Reus got off from the table and, once more, approached the Faunus girl, who was in the middle of adjusting her eyes.

"Sorry about the rude interruption. Are you alright?"

"What was that?" she asked, rubbing the corner of her eyes.

"Oh that? I just blinded him to knock him out for a while. I didn't really want to end up hurting the guy."

"Hah?" she replied in confusion.

"No need to worry about it. What about you? Don't you need to go to the infirmary?" Reus' sudden concern got the mousy girl even more flustered as she hid her tail behind her.

"No I... I'm alright now. There's no need to worry about me," she tried to collect her thoughts while answering Reus' concern.

"Then, wanna grab a bite to eat with me and a friend of mine? I'm Reus, by the way," he asked while making a quick introduction.

"Huh?! I–um, well," she turned red as her composure is broken by the blonde's invitation.

It was a misleading invitation, yes, but there was no meaning to it. Not that she knew that. Reus did notice the redness of her face and made another concerned look.

"Let me take you to the infirmary. Just to be safe."

Grabbing her by the hand, Aureus walks in the direction of the exit when,

"No, I–"

THWACK

...

...

...

CRASH

Reus is sent flying once again. His assailant: a young blonde with a burning mane and eyes red with fury.

"Reus!"

Shei, quick to recover this time, bolted towards her savior's landing point while leaping over tables and students alike. Unknown to either of the two, the boy had ticked off, what everyone in the second years above knew as, a hair-vain Xiao Long when he was sent flying into the wall a while ago.

Unfortunately, Team RWBY had entered the mess hall for their lunch a few minutes back. Like the others, they were minding their own business. Ruby was being cheery and excited. Blake was reading her book. Yang was teasing Blake about that book she was reading. And Weiss was, well, being Weiss. That was until Reus flew into the wall right next to them.

His crash had sent food, debris and other random things flying into the air. Among this was a shard of a porcelain tile which flew past a lock of golden hair, ripping several strands from their rightful place. Realizing this a few moments after, Yang had erupted into a fiery volcano and released her wrath onto the only evident cause.

Crashing into the opposite side of the hall now, the blonde boy had disappeared in another cloud of smoke and dust. His impact sent more food flying all over the place, hitting random students in the process.

"THAT'S WHAT YOU GET, YOU LITTLE BRAT!" The blonde brawler shouts before walking back to her shocked teammate's position. Team RWBY just so happened to be grabbing their own lunches when the wall beside them blew up with the crash.

"YANG?!" Blake was, surprisingly, the first to react. Maybe it was because she had been observing the victimized duo, out of curiosity, for a while now. "What've you done?!"

"What? He dirtied my hair. I just returned the favor." Yang defended with a weak excuse.

"Sis, he was thrown at the wall!" followed Ruby. "It wasn't on purpose!"

"If you end up killing him, just remember, I was not involved in your violent activities." Ice Queen responds.

"Ohhhhhh! Fine, I'll go and apologize–"

SMACK

A slice of apple pie had landed on top of the brawler's head, dyeing her golden strands in blood red, the perpetrator: the boy she had sent flying just a few moments ago, and in his hands another pie and a random watermelon.

"A FIGHT IT IS THEN!" He screamed and began throwing more food in the direction of Team RWBY.

Her teammates were helpless to stop her. That's because there were no restraints to a mad Yang. Responding to his provocation, Yang lifted the nearest table, dispersing the students who were enjoying their meal, and swings it. The contents of noodle soup, beef stew and other lunches flew in a wide curve, spraying around like the scattered shells of an uncoordinated artillery strike.

For her safety, Reus had already grabbed Shei by the hand and, before she could say a word, brought her to a flipped table, which was his makeshift fort. Ducking into cover just as the opposing blonde's artillery was about to hit, Reus was already searching for more ammo. Luckily, a soda vending machine had broken his fall earlier. The smashed piece of equipment had scattered soda cans all over the crash site. Picking up two cans of Dusta Cola, he returned fire with improvised grenades, smiling in amusement as he did. A glance at the enemy told him his female companion needed to go.

"You might wanna get out of the way." He pointed Shei to the exit, making a face of urgency. Shei wasn't sure what he was worried about until she took one peak over their mini-fort and scrambled for the door.

Yang had already dodged the incoming carbonated drink bombs and dived into the fray. She had picked up another table and threw it at Reus' hiding spot. The blonde bombshell was aiming to flush him out and bring it to close-quarters, her favorite kind of combat. Unbeknownst to her, Shei had narrowly escaped being collateral damage. But when the two tables made contact, her enemy was nowhere in sight. She had just started to look for him when,

"Over here, Goldilocks!"

A plethora of food and drinks atop another table were chucked at her direction from the right. Yang knew she wouldn't be able to dodge the piece of furniture, so instead, she decided to intercept. Crossing her arms, she shielded herself from the impact. Once hit, the table was split in two, sending food scattering in the area behind her.

Reus made a smug look on his face to taunt the girl. Her scorching mane had now turned Super Saiyan. Well, it would look Super Saiyan if not for the blotches of oil and soda on the golden strands. Balling up her right fist, she ran towards Reus with a fiery glare. From what you've already guessed, Xiao Long has had her Semblance active for a while now. Meaning, she really means to bring the pain this time.

"Eat this!" She sent her fist flying at his face.

Immediately responding, Reus took a dive to the side. He ended up on her right, safe from harm. Yang adjusted and twirled on the spot, this time, sending her left fist. Reus evaded once more by shifting his head to his right. He could feel the wind from her punches, sensing how serious she was at beating him to death. Intercepting her left-handed follow up, he grabs her by the sleeve of her uniform and performs a one-arm-shoulder throw. Yang flew a few feet forward and, this time, she was the one who crashed and broke another table. This one was devoid of occupants as their little brawl had already prompted the evacuation of the more mindful students.

Watching his handiwork, Reus placed a hand to his hip as he waited for his downed opponent to recover. A glance over to the doorway and he saw a mouse Faunus anxiously looking in his direction. This assured him of her safety.

'Well, that's her out of any more harm's way. What about the honor student?'

A quick look to the opposite direction and he noticed his grey friend was glaring at him from their original seats. Glaus was helping several students to the other exit, but it didn't look like he was about to interfere anytime soon. Reus knew. Even if Glaus did try to defuse the situation, his opponent probably wouldn't let him off so easily, judging by how she was currently getting up, unscathed and seething with anger, and barreling in his direction again.

'If she's this pissed, I wonder how she'll attack,' he thought as he prepared to himself to intercept again.

Yang, on the other hand, was preparing another plan of attack. She expected the first-year boy to be able to dodge the first strike but she didn't expect him to evade her second. Because of that blunder, her momentum was used against her, causing her to land on her backside in a mountain of food and experience what most would call the absolute, worst hair day ever.

Scanning her opponent, she noticed him form a defensive stance. His left forearm was held diagonally in her direction like a shield. His right hand hovered just behind it, ready to add to defense if necessary. She also noticed that his eyes were studying her as well. Considering her options, she couldn't afford to underestimate him again if she wanted to pay him back. She grinned devilishly as she decided and made her move.

With his left forearm, Reus blocked the first jab. His right moved in to intercept second one to his left. He then noticed her right arm come in for a wide swing aimed at his jaw. Judging by the strength of the first two hits he blocked, he deduced that the haymaker could effectively knock him out so he chose to divert the swing over his head. That was where he made his mistake. Yang, missing with the haymaker, put all she the force she accumulated with her Semblance to her other fist and sent Reus a surprise uppercut. Taking a direct hit, the boy flew several meters into the air before hitting the wall head first and crashing down on the floor.

"Homerun!" she celebrated her victory.

"Not quite, dynamite." Reus recovered immediately. He spat out a bit of blood as a cut on his lip was healed almost instantly by a flash of Aura on his tanned skin. "You call that a punch? I could find a stronger one in a bar."

"Grrrr!"

Anger was apparent on the girl's face. Yang was starting to get irritated by how the boy was able to recover after being tossed in the air like a ragdoll. She was grinning though. It had been a while since she faced an opponent that would continue to look down on her as if they still had the upper hand. It was official now. She will definitely enjoy breaking his expectations of winning. Oh, and she'll also enjoy breaking his jaw so he wouldn't ever be able to smile that smugly ever again.

"You want a punch? I'll give ya one!" she readied her stance as she charged him again.

Several meters away from the battlefield that was the center of the mess hall,

"Ah dammit, there he goes again..." he pinched his nose as he said this. The ever observant Glaus found the need to voice his opinion out loud while watching the two blondes brawl. "Every damn time he gets stressed out, he ends up causing a ton of trouble. Seriously, why the hell do I always pick up his slack?"

CRASH CRACK

The sound of more table flips and breaking walls echoed across the hall. Since the two were going at it intensely, he thought no one would mind let his thoughts slip for a while. That being said, he hasn't just been watching. While the two hotheads were tearing down the hall, Glaus had been directing everyone else to the nearest exit. He mostly did it to get them out of harm's way, but he had other reasons.

The first was their identities. As long as there weren't too many people within the vicinity of the fight, the fewer would see and memorize their faces. They were here to lie low here. Having too many people recognize you would be a drawback. But, then again, Reus was already too flashy enough. For anyone to have seen him fight once, it would be impossible to forget him. That brought about the second reason. Even if they did see him fight, they would be too far away to notice _how_ he fights. Limiting that information would be enough to follow the General's orders.

Now if he could just stop this fight without drawing any more attention to his partner without attracting any to himself, it would be perfect.

CRASH BOOM

"But what exactly would be able to stop a clash between two, equally stubborn powerhouses, I wonder?" he asked himself quietly. However, deep in thought as he was, he failed to notice the table was sailing through the air to where he stood.

"Watch out!" A girl's warning cry sounded as he realized too late.

"Oh, sh–" Instinctively, Glaus raised his left arm and took the blow of the table head on.

CRASH

The wooden furniture shattered to pieces, sending shrapnel all over the area in front of him. Just as he began to relax, he become aware of the second table too late. He crouched low on his right knee while his left arm went over his head. He braced for the second impact.

.

.

HHHHMMMMMMMMMMMM

Only it didn't come.

HHHHMMMMMMMMMMMM

Instead, there was a low humming sound. Breaking away from his crouch, he noticed two things. One of which was the fact that there was a floating piece of furniture that drifted a few feet above his head. The second thing he noticed was his surroundings. A number of items that should've been scattered on the floors such as the plates and spoons were all afloat as well.

"Are you alright, young man?"

A much more mature voice compared to the one who cried out in warning addressed him. Turning to the owner of the voice, Glaus recognized the beautiful, yet very much annoyed, instructor who held a riding crop at her side.

"Professor Goodwitch?! What are you doing here?"

"I should be the one asking the questions like 'What is going on here'."

"Well..."

BOOM CRASH

More random objects flew in their direction. With a flick of her wrist, the blonde teacher activated her Semblance. The things that were once flying towards them slowed to a stop and remained floating before them harmlessly. Although one of the stray table knives had its point hovering just a few centimeters away from her forehead, Goodwitch didn't seem bothered at all. She kept her composure as she returned to glare at the boy before her.

"Professor, before you ask him for an explanation," Glaus noticed another blonde standing behind the older one. This one was wore armor, had her long hair tied with a ribbon and was supporting a third girl over her shoulders. "Could we somehow stop those two before they do any more damage?"

Goodwitch turned her glare to the younger girl, apparently considering for a moment.

"(Sigh) Very well," she replied.

Back on the battlefield, Yang was royally pissed off now. After three attempts to pound him into the ground times and hurling him into the air another two, the dark-skinned boy before her managed to get right back up and chuck several tables and their contents at her with ease, all of which she dodged or deflected to fly harmlessly behind her. It wasn't that she was just flinging junk around carelessly. She made sure that anything Reus threw at her, she would throw in a direction that no one would get hurt. Well, no one within her field of vision, that is.

On the other hand, she was reaching the zenith of her limit. Since this fight started, it had been approximately five minutes since her hair got dirty and, sadly, it was STILL dirty. She needed to take a cool bath and get the muck out of her locks before something bad really happens. She couldn't drag it out any longer, no matter how much she wanted to pulverize the brat.

(Inhale)

Yang decided.

(Exhale)

She would end it in the next hit.

She readied her favored fist. Taking a running start, she moved towards a broken pile of tables. Using all her strength, she used a table top as a ramp and jumped into the air. She intended to end it with this one last strike from above. Reus must've thought likewise as he jumped over to the nearest wall. He kicked off the vertical surface and began coating his fist with a bright light of Aura. Yang didn't know what the boy's Semblance was as he didn't seem to use it at all during the fight. But she could care less since she was about send him to the next world anyways. Just as the two reached the peak of their jump attacks,

"THAT IS ENOUGH!"

One swish with her riding crop and two blonde teenagers were pulled away from their finishing strikes, mid-jump.

"Whoa!"

"What the–?!"

THUD

""Umph!""

Side-by-side, the two landed before the instructor with a dull sound. With another flick of her wrist, Glynda motioned her riding crop to the rest of the objects within the half-destroyed hall. The food, plates and tables all over the place began to float and hover in mid-air. Those that were already held aloft all became surrounded by a purplish glow before beginning to reorganize themselves around the place. Broken objects self-repaired. Ruined food went straight to the garbage bins.

The organized movements of the contents of the hall were the least impressive. The walls and floor themselves all reverted back to normal. Cracks shaped like spider webs healed at the seams. Holes and craters were filled in by the puzzle-like pieces of shattered concrete. It was as if time were flowing backwards. Once all was done, the end result was a pristine environment, much more organized than even before the fight began.

"Perhaps I should've made it clearer during the opening ceremony," The middle-aged woman spoke once more in a calmer tone. However, the words 'cold' and 'foreboding' couldn't compare to the manner in which she spoke. "Provided you comply with the rules, you will have a chance to become a future student of this academy. However, if you so much as disrespect the school's property or its students, you may find yourselves removed from campus grounds before the end of this day. Now, I want to know what happened here."

"He started it!" Yang pointed at the boy sitting beside her. "If he didn't ruin my hair, none of this would've happened!"

"Hey," Reus reacted. "Not my fault for flying in your direction! Besides, why didn't you step aside?!"

"You wanna go again, brat?!"

"Bring it, Blondie!"

The two blonde teenagers shot their accusations back and forth. But before they could blow their top off at each other again, the unexpected happened.

"ENOUGH!" With an echoing cry, Goodwitch snapped first.

"Seeing as asking the two of you will get me nowhere, I'll just have to interrogate other witnesses. Any volunteers?"

The teacher looked around the surrounding area. Although she asked the last part nicely, her shouting attempt to silence the blonde hotheads seemed to scare away any would-be eyewitness. However, one hand was slowly raised as she faced the direction of a boy she protected earlier.

"Young man, what is your name?" she asked.

"Glaus Miles, Ma'am," was his stern reply.

"Mr. Miles, is it?" She recognized the formality in his posture and how he spoke somewhat reminded her of a certain stiff she knew personally. "How long have you been observing the incident?"

"Reus, the boy you just apprehended, and I have been present in the mess hall since the beginning, ma'am."

Of course, having only one witness, especially someone who knew one of the accused, would be considered a bias opinion. To even the scales, a problem must be analyzed from more than one perspective. It wasn't that she didn't trust her only witness to lie to her, however. She was just being careful not to leave out other truths. It was her job as a teacher.

"I see. Well then, since you're with him, I will need a second volunteer to vouch for Ms. Xiao Long's side of the story. Anyone?" she started to look around again.

Being an instructor was never easy. Professor Goodwitch had been doing it for years. Being a disciplinarian, now that was a hell a lot of work. Not only did she need to patrol corridors and pass by classrooms every now and then, she was also obligated to handle out punishments and investigate scuffles and problems with the student body for days without end. Add the fact that Beacon was a school that housed its students in dormitories, now that made the job shift twenty-four/seven.

"Will anyone here step-up to vouch for Ms. Xiao Long?" she repeated in a much clearer voice.

The hall was beginning to refill after being repaired. Chances are that anyone involved might've run away in fear of being hunted down and/or castrated by Goodwitch. Well, she was used to being feared by now. Only a rare few have persevered on staying on her good side for their entire school life so it was common for them to avoid the teacher especially after they crossed her once.

"Yo! Over here!" A little hand rose up from behind the crowd. Black-fading-to-red was the hair on top of her head, a familiar sight.

Well, a rare few also got along with the teacher even though they were prone to getting into serious trouble every now and then. The average person would call them suck-ups as they look like they're trying to patronize her while she punished them. But Glynda thought otherwise.

"Ms. Rose," she could recognize that short little red hood anywhere, mainly because the young girl had proven that it wasn't a violation of the dress-code to wear anything unnecessary with your uniform to class. But secondly, she would recognize it immediately as it belonged to a student which was always at the top of the 'Running-in-the-halls' list. "Is it safe to assume that your sister had a perfectly good reason for trashing the tables today? I hope it doesn't involve another boy making indecent jokes about her eating habits again."

"What? Nononono!" Ruby denied the allegation. "It's a long story. See, we were here to get lunch, Yang made a joke, no one laughed because it wasn't funny, then there was a flying gold hair, someone crashed, and–demshebwakewayoudowing!"

"Ahem," Blake, ever so collected, appeared right next to her leader and stopped her from yammering any further with her hand to Ruby's mouth. "Professor, before Yang picked a fight with him, he was already in a fight with someone else."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, ma'am," Glaus affirmed behind her. "Reus had already started a fight with a bully before Ms. Xiao Long clocked him out of retaliation."

"Hmm," she was getting a clearer picture now. But with the mention of a bully, it meant that there was another incident before their fight. This meant a need for another eyewitness to recount that event. Damn. Just what Glynda needs, more stress. Pushing her spectacles up the bridge of her nose, she reluctantly asks the obvious. "Who was here when that happened?"

"Um... Professor?" a timid voice came from behind the crowd. Stepping forward, a mouse Faunus girl took the spotlight. Unlike Ruby, whose energetic personality could be detected from a mile away, this girl was unbelievably shy. Goodwitch didn't even notice her until she raised her hand.

"Yes, dear. And what might your name be?" she addressed the girl.

"I'm... my name's Sheila, Sheila Strega," she replied with a quiet voice. "That boy, Reus, you called him, he saved me from the bullies I bumped into."

Glynda was hoping for a witness. What she found was even better: the victim. Now that she had the pieces, all she needed to do was hear the story. But before that, she needed to isolate the problem-starters.

"Alright then, Ms. Rose, Ms. Strega and Mr. Miles, if the three of you would follow me, I could find out exactly what is going on here." Yang sighed in relief, seemingly thinking she was out of trouble. Boy. was she wrong. "Ms. Xiao Long and Mr. Rex." The two cringed at the sound of their names. "Follow me for your punishment."

They entered one of the empty classrooms. The simple design was that of rows of raised seats with isles running down the center and sides. The front of the room had a few charts and a global map plastered over the board. The books on the teacher's desk implied that a class had just finished, leaving it the perfect room for detention.

"The two of you will stay here until further notice," stated a composed Goodwitch. "I will give you your punishment for destroying the cafeteria later after I have gathered all the information I need. Ms. Arc, you will join these two for the time being as well. I will return after I see to Mr. Winchester and Mr. Thrush. Will one of you please help me bring Ms. Braunbar to the infirmary?"

Glaus did as the professor instructed and carried the hooded girl next to the armored blonde on one of his shoulders. Shei helped by carrying the unconscious girl's belongings. Ruby tried to help, emphasis on 'tried'. But as she was too short compared to Glaus, all she could do was follow after the two older first years.

"Let me say this again," Glynda hovered at the entryway before shutting the door. "If any of you try to start another scuffle again, for whatever reason, I will see to it that an airship comes to pick you up before Initiation starts." Aureus and Jeane both flinched at this. "And for you, Ms. Xiao Long, cleaning the bathrooms on all floors with a toothbrush for another two months should do."

"Damn it," Yang cursed as Goodwitch shut the door.

"Seems like this isn't the first time you ticked off the staff," Reus called out. Currently, he sat at the back row of the seats, furthest from the center aisle. He relaxed with his feet on top of the desk. "Ain't that right, dynamite?"

"Don't call me that!" Yang snapped back. She sat on the middle row of the opposite side, also the furthest from the center aisle. She had her arms crossed and refused to look in Reus' direction. "I swear I'll break your neck for ruining my hair."

"Vain, as well as short-tempered," he snapped back. "You probably won't believe me if I say it wasn't my fault."

"Damn right you are, pipsqueak. Now, how should I get rid of your hair? Should I shave it or burn it?" she replied threateningly.

"For the last time, I wasn't my fault. It may have happened but I didn't do it on purpose. Though I did throw the pie for payback. That was fun," he chuckled.

"What? You want some more, brat? Didn't you already learn your lesson?"

"What was I supposed to learn from the flying fists and crashing tables? That you're not the beauty but the beast?"

"You want a go, come get some!"

"Not on your life, top-heavy."

"What did you call me, scrawny?!"

They were starting another fight, exactly what the Professor didn't want them to do. If they didn't stop, they could both be punished more severely than before. Not that it would matter to Yang. Being punished by the Goodwitch was an everyday thing so knocking down a first year or two wouldn't hurt, would it? However, the girl who sat at the front most row near the center isle decided to step in.

"Excuse me," Jeane interrupted the two bickering idiots. "Exactly what happened before you two started fighting?"

Reus briefly recounted the events that happened before Yang happened. Though it was quick, it was a sufficiently concise summary. Even Jeane, who only saw the half were the mess hall was destroyed understood the explanation.

"So basically, you defended a Faunus being bullied but ended up provoking her by accident. Is that right?" she asked to verify to which Aureus gave a small nod. "I still don't see as to how this led up to the food fight that turned the cafeteria into a warzone. Was what he did that much personal to you?"

The question was directed at Yang who, while listening to Reus, had begun to calm down. Her crimson eyes were now back to lilac. She was also beginning to regret her actions.

"Yeah, well, the hair thing was personal. But it's been a while since I've had an opponent that wanted to pick a fight," she replied. "Maybe that had something to do with it. Sorry I blew up in your face when I should've been the one to stop the bullies."

"Eh, what can you do. I was just there before you were so I only did what I could've done," Reus spoke up. "Besides, it was fun to go all out every once in a while. But if you wanna fight again," He brought his right fist into his left palm. "All you need to do is just ask."

Yang was not going to lie. She was itching for more. It had been a while since someone openly challenged her for a brawl. Since entering Beacon, the only people who asked for a fist fight were bullies with self-serving egos or seniors trying to hit on her by showing off. Perhaps winning all those challenges with a landslide victory wasn't the best option. Ever since then, fewer and fewer people tried to challenge her again. Nora doesn't count. The bundle of electrical energy that is the Valkyrie is a walking natural disaster. Any fight involving her wasn't a normal brawl. It was a fight for survival. Back on topic, the blonde boy before her survived a hit to the face. He wasn't even scared of taunting her while she was enraged. In fact, he took advantage of it. She enjoyed the fight even though her hair got dirty.

"Hmph," Yang snorted but grinned at the invitation. "Thanks, but next time, I'll make sure you don't stand up."

"You're free to try, firecracker."

"Okay, call me that again, and I will seriously break your legs."

"Hmhmhm," Jeane giggled.

"What's so funny," said Reus.

"Hmhmhm," a smiling Jeane replied. "One minute you were at each other's throats. The next, you guys sound like rivals who go way back. It just made me wonder how strange the people who train to become Huntsman and Huntresses can be."

"Hmph. Not to burst your bubble," Reus interjected with a grin. "But you're one of those weirdos too, blondie."

"You may be right," she replied before continuing to laugh. Yang joined in too while Reus just smiled.

Yang wiped a tear as she stopped her laughter. This was fun, more so than she expected of any punishment Goodwitch could've dished out. Having talked out the problem, the two hotheads in the room seemed to have formed a bond, albeit a competitive and volatile one.

"Soooo, we're gonna be here for a while till Professor Goodwitch gets back. What do you guys wanna talk about?" Yang didn't really enjoy staying silent. It felt better to have someone to talk to. "By the way, the name's Yang Xiao Long. But you can call me Yang, cutie pie."

"Woah, didn't realize you swung that way," Reus snickered. "Or do you jump at anyone you find appealing?"

CRASH

Yang reflexively grabbed the nearest chair and threw it in his direction.

"I'm kidding," Reus replied before looking in Jeane's direction. "I'm Aureus Rex. We already know why we're here, so, what about you, what's your story?"

"Well, ahem," she cleared her throat before replying. "To start, my name is Jeane Arc. Incidentally, I also happened to send two of my seniors flying. I met a rude jerk by the name of Thrush who harassed a friend of mine just for bumping into him. I ended up sending him and his friend Cardin to the infirmary."

"Woah! Woah! Woah! Waaaaaaaaait! Back up a bit there, cutie," Yang interrupted. An expression of disbelief was plastered on her face. "Your last name is 'Arc'?!"

"Yes?"

"And you sent Cardin Winchester flying... through a wall... on your own...that Cardin…?"

"Is it that much of a surprise?" Jeane tilted her head.

"Is this Winchester guy some sorta big deal here?" Reus chimed in, apparently getting interested. "What's he like?"

"Imaging a gorilla making a cocky smile once he starts getting attention," was her quick reply before returning to the other girl. "So? How did it happen? How far did you send him flying?"

"Well…"

A few minutes later, after Jeane recounted the past events,

"Hmmm…."

"…"

"Kkk…."

Yang had her arms crossed while making a thinking pose as she processed it all. Jeane smiled politely as she waited for the other blonde girl's response. Reus, on the other hand,

"Kahahahaha!"

Was trying to not die of laughter.

"Gahahahahahahahh!"

"So basically," Yang ignored the boy guffawing behind her. "You attacked him in broad daylight as soon as you found out his name and punched another hole in the cafeteria's wall without even trying, directly after that, you used Russel to dig a hole in the floor, then the Glyn caught you but didn't have enough time to expel you on the spot because of us."

"Looking back, I think I may have overdid it a little. Eheheh"

Her seemingly-innocent smile wasn't convincing her conversation partners at all. Set aside the fact that two second years could be hospitalized for the first few days of the semester, Yang didn't think a first year could knock the bully's lights out on the first try. Well, it was Cardin. Maybe the blockhead wasn't even paying attention.

"Just making sure," Yang continued. "How are you related to Jaune again?"

"I'm his twin sister," Jeane replied.

'Weird,' Yang thought. 'If she was a twin, why wasn't she enrolled at the same time as Jauney?'

Before she could ask the obvious, however, the sound of her brother's name caught Jeane's attention.

"Do you know my brother?"

"Uh… Yeah. Jauney−,"

(scratch) A weird sound came from the front of the room. It was only for a millisecond, but Yang swore she saw Jeane's ice-blue eyes turn bloodshot at the mentioning of her nickname to Jaune.

"Err−he's a friend of my sister and our team. The girls and I hang out with him−,"

(scraatch) Another wave of killing intent permeated the room. Reus could see the source of the noise now. One of Jeane's hands, clad in a steel gauntlet, had its index finger curled unnaturally as if to carve a line into the desk.

"−and his team, every now and then. Eheheheh."

'?!' Yang had already noticed the air around the young girl down in front change immediately. It wasn't as cheery like before nor did it look like she was trying to act innocent. Instead, Yang could feel a chill crawling down her spine as the temperature dropped. 'What's up with her?' was her first thoughts.

Unbeknownst to Yang, the insensitive, Jeane was just having a minor panic attack. The moment she registered Xiao Long's voice call Jaune in such an informal way caused her to absentmindedly carve into the wooden desk she sat in. Of course, she wanted her brother to have friends. However, according to a certain Book of Sibling Rules, there were limits to that depending on gender. Then when she heard that Jaune regularly 'hangs out' with girls, the sudden declaration that there were more girls in proximity with her brother caused her to repeat the motion. By the way, damaging property was one of the approved ways to relieve stress, according to the BoSRs. No one would want to commit murder because some random girl got close to their brother now, would they?

"Hmhm, I see," Jeane kept smiling. It wasn't the cute and innocent at all. "Has my brother been having fun since he started out here?"

"Huh… Oh yeah. Been having a loooot of fun. Our teams went on a few missions together. We trained with each other. We all enjoyed our times together. So much so that he even tried asking out one of my friends−,"

(Sscraatch) (Yandere vibes all over the place) Yang's statement that Jaune had already gotten close to someone enough to ask her out. Now THAT was a big no-no. How can you tell you've crossed the line with an Arc sibling? They exuded a slight killing intent (complete with a chilling atmosphere). Even Reus sitting at the back could tell something was off. However,

"−but it didn't work out since said friend already had someone else."

(Scraa−) Jeane halfway stopped her finger from deepening the already-visible scratch mark on the wooden surface.

"Oh dear, he did it again," she said. "That's too bad."

Although she sounded like she felt sorry, her facial expression was that of relief. It was just out of curiosity, but Yang decided to point it out.

"You don't seem too worried."

Jeane nodded in affirmation. "This was a normal occurrence back home. Brother would try his best but would ultimately fail in the end. It either ended with him messing up or the girl rejecting him before he could even confess."

"Yeesh, sounds harsh," Reus threw a random comment.

"Yes, well," the Arc had a cheery expression once again. It almost seemed like she enjoyed her brother getting rejected. "Sometimes he would try again and again, to the point where it seemed creepy. Mom did warn him that Dad's 'confidence advice' wasn't enough. But because of that, most of the girls back home wouldn't ever talk to him again afterwards."

'Yikes, now wonder he was so low on self-esteem,' not that Yang would say it aloud as Jaune had already recovered from that by now. "Oh! Oh!"

Yang decided to talk more. If Jaune's sister was going to be her junior, then telling the Arc twin one or two stories about her brother's first year would make a good gossip topic between girls.

"There was that time when your brother did get shot down more than once by the same girl. She's a teammate of mine by the way. Each time, he got back up and tried again until she flat out gave up on him giving up."

"(Sigh) brother is always so stubborn even though he knows he's going to lose," Jeane smiled a gently. "But that's why he's a lovable idiot."

Though said in a whisper that it was inaudible to the back, Yang had no problem catching the last few words.

'That may be true,' Yang thought. 'But he's probably not the same brother you remember.'

Just from how she spoke of Jaune, Yang knew that this Arc girl adored her brother. Kind of like how Yang herself adored Ruby. Somehow, she wanted to let Jaune's family know that he may not be the same dork as he was before Beacon, but better. Yang knew what family relationships were all about. Despite what people think, Yang wasn't all about gossip and teasing.

"But he did help out my friend get in a relationship with the guy she was after." She spoke with pride akin to a best man at a wedding reception. "So even if they didn't get together, they're still friends now. Sooo, at least, he can talk normally with a girl that rejected him before. In fact, now that he isn't hitting on her, they're pretty much like best friends−"

SCREEEEEEECH

The sound like nails on a chalkboard caused both Reus and Yang to cover their ears. Without even looking up from the pain, both knew the sound came from the front. Coincidentally, both blondes felt the air in the room drop a few degrees even further. But that wasn't the scary part.

Fun fact about the Arc sisters: No one, I repeat, NO ONE, can reject Jaune's advances and still ask to become friends with him, let alone best friends, WITHOUT the council of sisters' approval. This is considered a serious offense as written in the Book of Sibling Rules and should be punished by either death or a grand display of public humiliation equivalent to death. As a protocol, a meeting to discuss the terms of the sentence is needed. But when there is only one member of the council present, this spectacle occurs.

"What… impossible… dear brother… friends…? no way… he couldn't have… no… best friends…? with a girl… no chance… much of a wuss… helpless… my brother… no… probably misheard… yes… stubborn… always made me worry… wait… what if… if he is… friends…? impossible… death by… no…. too easy… humiliation… shame is better… public strip…? too simple… bloody mess…? wait… must gather intel… won't let anyone… just mine…"

Another fun fact: Not all the sisters are in on the BoSRs. A few prefer to look out for their brother in their own way. But even if Jaune has an idea as to who is part of the group, that doesn't mean anyone is any safer.

Jeane sat still in her seat, looking down while seemingly in a trance. A hand covered her mouth. But even though the two other blondes couldn't understand her whispering and mumbling, they could guess that something had shaken the Arc but don't know what Yang could've said to cause that.

Yang was nervous. She had no idea what she did to set off the blonde in front, but something told her escalating it any further would only lead to something bad. She knew the face Jeane Arc was making right now. It was similar to Ruby's Dad/Yang-ate-my-cookies-without-my-permission-again face. Let's just say that the Little Red Reaper got her nickname at home before she even started weapon school.

"Somehow, I think you ticked her off," Reus spoke loud enough to not be heard from the front of the classroom. "Change the subject!"

Although Yang didn't like being told what to do by a complete stranger, the boy was right. Wracking her brain, she tried to think of a topic.

"Hey, uh," she called out.

"Talk to him… brother needs… no one else…." Jeane's mumbling continued. Yang was completely ignored.

"Hey, Jeane!"

"He's…. Hmmm?!"

"Uh, how did uh," she tried weakly. "How were you admitted into Beacon?"

"… Oh!" For a moment, Jeane didn't realize she was being questioned. When she did, she snapped away from her trance and answered back, politely as she was before. "I took the entrance exams. We never had a licensed Huntsman nearby to train me so I didn't have a recommendation form."

"Hmmm," Reus sounded interested. But more importantly, he was pressing the topic and Jeane was now talking to them normally again. "I heard that those exams are extremely hard to pass. Did they score you guys or was it pass-or-fail? While we're on topic, I got in via recommendation."

"(Sigh)," Jeane switched from cheery to disappointed. "All we had to do was run a simple obstacle course run from one town to another while a few professional Huntsman trailed after us. I said obstacle course, but the whole thing was just a day's worth of travel between towns without using the roads or dirt paths in between. There weren't any Grimm to fight too. At the end of the month, they sent us a letter that told us whether we passed or not so we don't know how good or bad we were."

"'We'?" Yang asked.

"Yeah. They had us take the exam in groups but we each had to work alone. We never saw each other out on the field since they gave each of us our own paths. Mine was filled with climbing cliffs and river crossings."

"I thought you said that there were no pros to train you in your home town," Reus pointed out. "Who did you train with then?"

"My father trained me," Jeane replied. "He had some experience fighting Grimm and he was also trained by my grandfather. Though, if I told my brother that, he would get jealous and start whining about how long he begged Dad to train him."

"So, if you passed the rigorous entrance exam by Beacon's standards, you must be good."

Reus' eyes lit up as he said this. Yang sensed that he was eager for another fight.

'Really, is this guy all brawn for brains?' she thought.

"Eheheheh," Contrary to the boy's hot-bloodedness, though, Jeane was rather amused. "Not really. I'm probably more of a disappointment," she modestly denied. "After all, my father only had half of last year to train me. I've never even tried holding a weapon before five months ago. I haven't fought anyone for real either so there's no way I can be sure I'm any good in a fight."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"What…?" Yang uncomfortably shifted in her seat. She couldn't believe her ears, thinking that maybe she misheard.

"Come again, I didn't get that," Reus was sitting up properly now with his hands clasped in front of his face. He looked like he was trying to hide his face, but from Yang's spot, she could see the seriousness in his expression.

"Hm?" On the other hand, Jeane was smiling as innocently as ever. "I said I can't be sure how good I am in a fight since I've never fought anyone before−"

"Before that," Reus interrupted with a heavy voice.

"… My father only had five months to train me before I took the entrance exam?" Jeane asked with a curious look on her face.

"Could you tell me," Reus continued. "Before that, you had never received any form of training, be it in athletics or weapons. Is that right?"

"Yeah, but what's wrong with that?"

"…" Reus became silent. He just quietly stared back at Jeane.

Jeane had a face that said she couldn't understand why the boy was so serious. Reus was quite the opposite. He looked like he was staring at a crime-scene-waiting to-happen. Yang, who hadn't budged from her seat, alternatingly glanced at either of the other two blondes.

Honestly, she was surprised at the twin's declaration. Having been able to pass the exams that were rumored to be brutal without even a years' worth of training would be more than just surprising. It would go beyond impressive. 'She must be a fast learner,' Yang first thought. What she would give for that kind of talent. But then, why was the boy in the back staring so seriously at the blonde up front. Sure, Yang was surprised, but she couldn't guess why Reus was so concerned.

"Excuse me, Reus, was it?" Jeane spoke up. She sounded quite offended. "Don't you know it's rude to stare at others?"

"I think he's just ogling you, cutie pie. I mean, you look even more erotic from the side." Yang was just trying to break the ice.

CRASH

It's not that she was wrong. Yang had a sense for the erotic that could excite boys and girls alike, but maybe she could've said something with less sexual harassment as a certain someone took it at face value. Immediately after hearing the bombshell's joke, Jeane stood up, grabbed the chair, and threw it at Reus. The boy, however, ducked below the desk before impact, saving himself but denting the wall behind him. He retook his seat like nothing had happened and resumed to stare at the Arc's general direction. Jeane was not impressed though.

"Why are you still staring?!" she shouted, ready to toss another chair at him.

"Before you throw that, why wouldn't I stare at you?" Reus replied sharply. "I couldn't stop myself because I was just impressed that there are people as talented as you."

"Eh?" Jeane faltered for a moment, her cheeks slightly tinged pink at the comment. From the looks of it, she seemed to regret her rash actions. "Uhm… Eh…? If you say it… like that… then I… I'm sorry… for overreacting−"

"Uh, before you get a strange misunderstanding, let me just add. I'm also so impressed that you'd assault someone even when they weren't the one harassing you. Just how much of a gullible idiot are you?"

CRASH

"Well, sorry for being an idiot!" Jeane replied adamantly.

Reus had taken another dive beneath the desk at the second throw and was now getting back up with a disappointed look on his face. Apparently, because the Arc was flustered, her throw was off by a few feet to the side. It made Reus feel like he wasted an effort in dodging.

'But he looked like he was actually worried just a while ago.' Yang glanced at the boy. 'Am I imagining things?'

"If you're trying to get others to do your dirty work for you by joking around, at least make sure that I'm dead by then or else I'll actually fight back next time." Reus had noticed Yang's gaze and retaliated for the indirect assault upon him.

Yang smiled apologetically at this. Maybe she should tone down the jokes like what her sister (partner, teammates, friends, teachers, etc.…) keep telling. But then again, Yang was Yang.

"Well, jokes aside, I'm honestly impressed." Reus returned to his seat. "I find it hard to believe that such a talent like you would be delayed by a year."

"Well, I admit, I really didn't have any plans or a reason to come here before," Jeane quietly replied. "But now that I do, I won't let my efforts go to waste."

"Really?" sounding skeptical, Reus asked the obvious. "And what exactly changed your mind?"

"My brother did."

"…"

"…"

Yang noticed that the air around the blonde who sat quietly in the front of the classroom suddenly changed. Unlike the chilling aura or the flustered atmosphere, she saw a reminiscing-like expression form on the Arc's effeminate face. After a brief pause, Jeane continued.

"My brother wanted to be a hero. Please don't laugh. I know it sounds childish, but I want to support his dream. At home, I could only follow him around and give words of encouragement. But when he left for Beacon, I felt powerless. I felt that I needed to follow him, to continue supporting his dream. Even if I couldn't do much, I still want to be right by his side for as long as I live."

Yang grinned a gentle smile. She could sympathize with the sibling love that Jeane Arc had for her brother. Like Jeane, Yang wanted to support Ruby out in her own dream. When she heard that her little sister was getting into Beacon the same year as her, she felt slightly cheated but, most of all, proud that Ruby had gotten closer to her dream. Yang believed that her, and their family, helping Ruby train was only a small factor compared to Ruby's efforts. Jeane seemed to think that was the same for her support to Jaune. It was obvious that, like Yang for Ruby, Jeane would do anything to help her brother

"… You really love your brother, don't you?" Yang let her inner thoughts slip out.

"Yes," replied a jubilant Jeane. "No matter what, I wish to assist my brother in any way possible. It's my dream that he becomes the hero he wanted to be. It's the reason why I followed him all the way here. Even if he doesn't want me to, I would give my everything to help him achieve that dream."

"Is that so…"

Reus voice was so quiet that Yang almost didn't hear it. Reaction to Jeane's words was not exactly what Yang expected. But she didn't expect the following.

"Heheheheheh."

Reus was laughing.

"Hahahahahaahah!"

It didn't sound like he was happy.

"Ahahahahahhahaha!"

To Yang though, it sounded somewhat offending. Even Jeane's smile disappeared.

"What's so funny?"

Yang snapped at the boy. She didn't know what he found amusing. But seeing him mockingly laugh at another's dream struck a chord in Xiao Long. She then sent a death glare that said 'choose your next words carefully'.

"Hahahaha," Reus was holding his stomach while a smile was plastered on his face. It seemed like he noticed the glare but didn't care either way. "Heheh, excuse me. It's just… heheh… that I heard something so ridiculous, I couldn't stop myself."

Yang frowned at that but had no time to retort as Jeane immediately responded.

"What exactly did you find ridiculous?"

"Eheheh, what? Everything."

"…"

"What…?"

"I found everything that you said ridiculous."

Jeane reacted in surprise while Yang stayed silent. Neither of them could comprehend the words of the boy sitting at the back of the classroom. Reus, on the other hand, sat back with a amused smile on his face. It was like he was enjoying a comedic play.

"It's fine if you don't get what I'm saying, Jeane Arc, but you'd better listen well to what I'm about to say."

"…"

"?!"

Reus spoke casually as he received a disappointed look from Yang and a piercing glare from Jeane. Because of the tension in the air, time seemed to slow down. Both waited on bated breath to his words. After a while, Reus spoke. His tone was normal, but the words sounded like a harsh death sentence to Jeane.

"Go home."

"…"

"What do you mean?"

To Jeane's almost silent inquiry, Reus repeated his words in a more condescending tone.

"I said 'Go home, little girl.' You're not needed here."

 _ **AUTHOR's NOTES: Hey, I'm back. I got delayed again. Sorry about that. XD Finding time to write this was easy but refining the content was the hard part so if any of you find a roughly understandable part, please tell me and I'll fix it as soon as possible.**_

 _ **Concerning the content, I could guess that a lot of you would be disappointed as all I did was rearrange points here and there compared to my earlier attempt at this story(see the defunct Fourth of Seven Story). Technically, I was supposed to upload two chapters every three months so as to get back to where it was left off as soon as possible. So I apologize deeply for only being able to finish one.**_

 _ **The next chapter will be about The Initiation and the one after that is back to school so if you guys want, you can just wait until I've uploaded about three to four more chapters(... I'm gonna die of stress). That way, there would be no dilly-dally shilly-shally while you guys read approximately 20k(**_ **.** _**) words per chapter. So, enjoy(read) and criticize(insult) me in the review section. I'll see you guys proooooobably in another three months or so(maybe in two if I'm lucky... probably not). XD**_


	4. Chapter 3: Colleagues and-with Conflicts

Today was a beautiful, normal day. Well, at least, it was supposed to be.

Click Clack Click Clack

The sound of stilettos tapping on concrete echoed on the walls of the almost empty hallway. The owner of the heels, Professor Goodwitch, led four students down the hall to the infirmary. She had a sour look on her face. Then again, this was her normal expression every day. In the past, she used to worry if the stress would end up giving her wrinkles. Alas, there was no need to worry…

Well, not yet, at least.

That being the case, Goodwitch was already at a calm state of mind. Leading students to the infirmary didn't add to her stress levels compared to dealing with incidents. But despite it being quiet, the professor still busied herself. She had been fiddling with her scroll as she quietly continued down the halls, unlike the three younger ones trailing behind her.

"You're a second year here!?" a calm, yet surprised, young lady exclaimed behind the instructor.

"Yup!" replied another girl. More childish than the first yet jubilant all the same. "I skipped two grades after taking down a robbery single-handedly!"

Ruby Rose, the one who made a proud expression while saying so, puffed up her petite chest as if to inspire awe from her older juniors. Sheila Strega clapped her hands before her agape mouth, making an impressed expression.

"Hmmm, so they consider talent over age." Glaus Miles, who carried an unconscious Fran on his back, spoke in a soft tone as if he was taking notes. "Professor, is Beacon's educational system a meritocracy like Atlas Academy's?"

"No, Mr. Miles," Goodwitch replied politely. "At least, not all the time."

"So, it's a conditional thing then…"

To the teacher, it seemed that Glaus Miles was the type to prioritize learning about his surroundings before anything else so she simply left him to his mumbling. But, of course, not everyone had a wide comprehension for vocabulary.

"What's a merry orca sea?" Ruby had question marks above her head.

"Eheheh," Shei giggled at the clueless Rose.

Ruby was jumped two years ahead of her supposed academic level, so her lacking in terminology wasn't surprising for Goodwitch. As their trip down the halls continued, she finished up her report concerning the recent incidents in the cafeteria. Behind her, one of the Initiates began his explanation for his younger senior.

"A meritocracy is a governing system that rewards hardworking and talented people by letting them advance further in their studies or gives them seats of power over their peers." Glaus gave a clear-cut definition as if he memorized the contents of a dictionary. But, seeing as the little red still had questioning expression, he quickly added. "Put simply, the ones with bigger achievements get better treatment or is assigned to be the leader, even if they were originally younger or lower in rank than you are."

"Ooooh," Ruby said with a cute puppy-like expression of getting a bone for doing tricks. She was most likely proud of the fact for being accelerated in her studies.

"We're here."

Goodwitch finished her had stopped in front of a door with the sign 'Infirmary' just above the doorway.

"Peach, I have another patient for you."

Opening the door, Goodwitch gestured Glaus to bring the unconscious Fran in before anyone could reply. To note: Fran still had her hood pulled down. She didn't seem uncomfortable so no one took it off.

To describe the infirmary, it was like a small hospital wing. The nurse's desk was positioned right next to the entrance. Several beds covered in white sheets were placed perpendicular to the walls on both sides, each separated by white curtains. Two sets of double doors faced each other in the middle of the room, both centered on the left and right wall. They most likely led to an extended wing to accommodate more patients. As a side note, about five of the beds in the main room were already occupied with a few groaning and unconscious students.

By definition, the nurse's corner was the most out of place in the room. A terminal sat on top of the desk. A vase of peach-colored irises was precariously placed next to it. Several stacks of paper documents were placed here and there. What was more eye-popping was the number of glass jars and bottles littering the place. From full medicine containers to small, jarred, dissected animals to empty wine bottles. It was most definitely NOT the desk of a nurse. That being said, the owner of the desk was nowhere in sight.

Shei and Glaus both had their eyes focused on the desk with their jaws dropping. Ruby and Glynda, however, continued as usual, paying no heed to the empty alcoholic drinking bottles on the floor. Goodwitch told Glaus to place Fran in one of the beds. He took the nearest one to him, opposite the nurse's desk. Goodwitch, on the other hand, approached the one adjacent to it. The curtains were pulled back for only her to see and she spoke to the current owner of the bed.

"Just how long do you plan on dozing off?"

"Uuuugh… Glyn… (yawwwwwwn)… what time is it? Lunch already?"

"It's already past noon, Peach. You have another patient so wake up already."

"Hmmmmmnnnggggg … Another one? I thought you took measures to tone down the fights for the first day already!" Peach questioned while stretching an arm over her head. Her tone was that of someone only half awake.

"This one wasn't in a fight. She collapsed before a fight happened," Glynda replied promptly. "And besides, the first day isn't over just yet."

Adding that last bit with a firm expression, it was apparent that Goodwitch was still on guard for more incidents. Her colleague, on the other hand, seemed dead tired already.

"(Sigh) You're still expecting another fight? I swear, it's always the first semester that's the busiest. You should make yourself more famous, Glyn. That way, even the new arrivals would know better than to start a scuffle on their first day."

"You make it sound like I'm the school's demon that hunts down delinquents."

"Oh, come on. You know you were much more of a demon back in the good old− OWOWOWOWOOWOWOWWOWOWOWOOWOWOWW!"

"Are you awake now?"

"OK! I'll stop! Seriously! I'll do my job so let it go! Let go already!"

All three conscious students could hear the two's conversation from behind the curtains. Two of them glanced at each other, wondering what the hell was going on. The remaining red was busying herself by dancing on the balls of her heels while humming a tune reminiscent of her favorite song.

Well, to be frank, Ruby knows this scene to be a normal thing. It reminded her of how her dad and uncle always act when Qrow was dead drunk. Plus, this usually happened when someone, mainly Jaune as a victim to overtraining and Team RWBY (plus Nora's antics), was brought over to the infirmary under the watchful eyes of Goodwitch. (You should admit. The boy can't go from zero to hero without a trip or ten to the infirmary at least every month.)

Pulling back the curtains, they finally got a view of who Goodwitch was talking to. A gorgeous lady with short, black hair and luminous green eyes wore a white lab coat over a pink midriff V-neck t-shirt. Her top was, well, it was what they could call an 'obvious temptation'. Her assets were, well, they were on display. Below the clear view of her navel, she had black skin-tight jeans and a green snake belt while wearing black, low wedge heels. If an outsider were to describe her attire, one could call her a desperate single woman. (For certain reasons, I will not go into detail about describing this image. Moving on.) Her most catching features, other than the visible bellybutton and cleavage, were the pair of feline ears atop her head. Yes, Professor Peach was a Faunus.

"Damn, it still hurts," the nurse complained while whispering. "You always bully others when you don't get what you want. Just how exactly are you a good wi−"

"I see your other ear is doing fine. Should I do something about that or do you want me to dock your salary for the drinks you bought last semester with the budget reserved for medical supplies?"

"You− You wouldn't…?!"

"…. Try me…"

"NO! I'm begging you! Any more and I'll have to live in a dark alleyway for the next three months!"

With the curtain out of the way, Glaus and Shei could see that Goodwitch was still sour (but smiling in a scary way) and Peach was in a panic (out of fear for her future).

"If you get it already, hurry up. You have work to do."

"…"

Peach caressing her left cat ear as she moved towards her desk to fish out her own scroll from the mess. Goodwitch stood stock still beside the other bed. From the side, you would think that teasing her colleague was how she relieved her stress, but technically, this was her usual exchange with Professor Peach.

Despite many labeling her as a straight-laced woman, she wasn't really the type that separated personal from work. It is especially evident in her actions to cover up the nurse's mistake. Even a stranger could tell it was out of the goodness of her heart. Her history with Peach was a mystery as neither would speak of it, Glynda because she refuses for personal reasons and Peach because she feared the blonde. But while the mystery was worth noting, there was no doubt of Glynda's concern for her colleague.

"By the way," Goodwitch's voice made Peach jump for a moment as the Professor turned her gaze over to the occupied beds across the room. "How are your other patients?"

"The two closest to you are Winchester and Thrush. Winchester's got a concussion and two cracked ribs. Thrush has three, a slight fracture to the left leg and is still unconscious. But I'd say they'll be fine by tomorrow. The two next to them have bruises and sprains from the food fight a while ago and will rest there for a while. The last one drank a glass of spoiled milk on a bet last night. I had him take some stomach medicine for it this morning."

She quickly explained while scanning her tablet-sized scroll before she handed it to Goodwitch and turned towards Fran. A quick glance on the display revealed that this scroll had medical records for all the students and on the side, a window with Fran's file was attached.

Upon arriving to the foot of the bed, Peach noticed her patient sitting up with a confused look. Fran had her eyes open while she lay quietly on the bed. It seems that she was awoken by the conversation the two teachers were having.

"Hello, dear," Peach, sporting a gentle smile that wasn't there before, approached the patient. Contrary to her previous impression, the air around her had changed from a lazy, debt-heavy nurse to that of an actual doctor. "Fran Braunbar, is it? Now let's see what's wrong with you."

"Um…" Confused, Fran started. "… I believe I'm fine though…"

"You wouldn't be here if that were true, dear," gently replied Peach. "Just relax and let ol' Professor Peach take care of everything."

Fran tried to reassure the 'doctor', but Peach had an expression that said she wasn't letting a patient get away.

"You three, follow me, please."

The sudden switch caused the two new students to gape in silence until Goodwitch snapped them back to reality. She gestured over to the door as if to signal them to follow her. Taking the hint, they left the nurse to treat her new patient.

Once all three gathered, Goodwitch shut the door behind her and had them line up. Glaus to her left, Ruby to her right and Shei in the center. Before she could speak, however, she noticed that two gazes were still directed towards the closed door.

"Surprised? Despite her unpleasant habits, Professor Bellini Peach is a certified medical officer. And a responsible one at that. She also works part-time as a councilor." Goodwitch stated this with a relaxed expression on her face. But her features switched as a disappointed sigh followed. "Now, if only she worked seriously and stopped having money troubles, everything else would be fine."

"…"

"…"

"Hummm Hummm Hummm…"

Two remained silent. The Rose continued humming as if it wasn't her business.

"Now then," Goodwitch adjusted her pair of glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Please recount to me the events that happened in the cafeteria. Chronologically, if you will."

And thus, began Glynda's stress-free interrogation.

Meanwhile,

Somewhere else within the school, a certain auburn-haired youth walked along the corridors of Beacon in a steady pace. His shoes made minimal sound as he made his way down the empty hall. He wasn't dressed in the school's uniform nor was he a student of Beacon. Well, not yet, at least.

His features were of a slim, tall young teenage male with a plain-looking face. His pair of hazel-green eyes had a steady gaze, not serious but not aloof either. His attire consisted of a knee-length, dark-brown duffel coat, charcoal-colored pants and a pair of brown sneakers. His coat was buttoned up except for the waist down. The way he was pacing the corridors with stern eyes glancing around every now and then made him appear like he was looking for someone.

"Hmmm," he stopped in front of one of the many seemingly empty classrooms. "This was where the Doctor had last seen her heading to. Where could she have gone from here?"

Muttering to himself, he looked left and right. He quietly secured the plain tea brown beret atop his head in place while searching for anyone to inquire. But, standing in the hallway of empty classrooms during the weekends, there was hardly anyone around. In the first place, the person who told him where he could find Professor Goodwitch only had a momentary glance of her as he zipped passed down the corridors.

"Perhaps asking Doctor Oobleck wasn't the best idea. I wonder if Professor Port is available. Although getting caught up in one of his past achievements may only waste more time than randomly wandering, I could at least get her contact information from him."

Letting out a sigh, he had almost resumed his search down the hall.

(CRASH)

That is, if he didn't hear a loud noise from one of the nearby rooms.

(SAY THAT AGAIN, YOU BASTARD!)

(CRASH)

(Take it easy, Jeane! Just put the chair down!)

He approached the door. From just the voices he could tell there were at least three people inside, two of them were undoubtedly female. Judging by their words, one was attempting to stop the other. He couldn't identify the third who kept quiet from this side of the door, but whatever gender, that was irrelevant. More importantly, what he could understand was that they were arguing about something.

He hesitated to open it. Thinking about it, he understood that whatever may be happening within the room did not have anything to do with himself. As it was a private matter, he, as an outside party, was not involved and should respect the privacy of others. But before he could walk away,

(GUH!)

(CRASH)

(Jeane, stop! Anymore and you'll be in bigger trouble with Goodwitch when she gets back!)

"…" he stayed put.

If the person he was looking for was planning on returning to this place, there was no need for him to waste energy in fruitless searching. However, listening in on an argument wasn't exactly okay either. With that in mind, he made his decision.

Leaning against the wall, he took out a plain, paperback book from a worn-out, light-brown messenger bag that hung on his side and opened it to his bookmark. Resuming from where he left off, he waited. Despite the peaceful setting, he could still hear voices coming from the room behind him but continued reading in silence anyway.

One might say 'he isn't getting himself involved but is still rude by eavesdropping nonetheless'. It may be a reasonable assumption. However, it is a subjective one. If the observer knew him well, they could tell what he was thinking as he read his book.

'Their argument does not involve me. But that doesn't mean I should waste energy by wandering aimlessly. Their personal matters are theirs alone. So, to respect their privacy, all I have to do is keep quiet and ignore them while keeping others from insensitively listening in...'

And with that, Rudy Evergreen flipped a page in silence.

On the other side of the door, three blondes were having a stare-down.

With a condescending glint in his eyes, Reus steadily directed his gaze to the front of the room were two girls were entangled and squirming, not in the erotic sense. Yang had both her arms wrapped around Jeane as she kept the Arc from throwing anything else at the boy.

"Jeane, calm down! Do you want to get expelled?!"

"Kuh…"

At Yang's words, Jeane stopped her squirming while gritting her teeth in frustration. After confirming that the Arc wouldn't blow up again, Yang immediately released her bear hug. Jeane began to calm herself down, if breathing in and out in regular intervals can be called 'calming', before shooting a glare at Reus who unwaveringly stared back.

"Feel free to vent as much as you want. Getting yourself kicked out will be a blessing for all of us anyway."

Hearing his words, even Yang shot him a glare to try and shut him up before Jeane could assault him again.

'She almost fell for it.' Yang figured out his intentions from that statement alone. Reus had goaded Jeane to start a fight with him on her own. Indirectly speaking, he had almost gotten Jeane expelled through her own actions. 'What a jerk.'

The second blonde girl in question, however, had kept her calm and ignored his words. Even if she wanted nothing but to beat him down, she knew what he said was true so she stayed her hand.

As to how this standoff escalated, let us go back a few minutes before the third party outside the door overheard their fight.

"I said 'Go home, little girl.' You're not needed here."

Just from his tone, Yang could tell that it was his honest opinion and not a purposeful attack to Jeane.

"Why... Why would I … not… needed here?"

However, the girl's voice trembled. Yang had noticed Jeane's gaze drop to the floor the moment she registered his words. After a brief pause, she gathered her thoughts and spoke once more, although still trembling.

"Why, exactly why, would I … not be needed … here at Beacon?"

Yang glanced towards the back of the room where Reus stood. Judging by the way he kept a straight face before the quivering girl in front, he wasn't going to retract his words.

"Oh? You took my words literally?" The boy sighed in disappointment before apologizing. "Sorry, let me rephrase that so you could understand it better."

He paused for a minute, leaving Jeane in a confused state. Yang, on the other hand, was hoping he wouldn't say anything even more insensitive. Of course, it was only wishful thinking once Reus broke his silence.

"It'd be better for everyone, especially your brother, if you just returned home."

"In what way… How would doing that benefit my brother?"

"'How'? Do you have to ask?" Reus said as if the answer was obvious. "One less nuisance to worry about is always a benefit, don't you think?"

"…"

"You think… I'm… I'm a nuisance? To my brother?" in an unbelieving tone, she asked.

"What else would you call unnecessary, heavy baggage?" scoffed Reus in reply.

"How dare you?!"

"What I said wasn't wrong. I'm just telling you what would benefit everyone. Your coming here to support your brother's dream is a waste of time as it is childish."

"What're you getting at?" Unable to keep herself an observer any longer, Yang butted in. "What right do you have to insult her wish?!"

"I speak based on experience," he curtly replied.

"That still doesn't give you any right to force your decisions on someone else," Yang shot back.

"I'm giving free advice, and you're just going to toss it aside? How rude."

"The rude one here is you."

He spoke in a mocking tone that Yang thought was going too far, she just had to counter.

"Whatever you may have experienced," Jeane interrupted with her own counter-argument. "It doesn't have anything to do with me or Jaune. That's why I have no obligation to listen to you."

"Then riddle me this, little sister," his tone shifted. From a mockery to pity. "Just exactly how would you be of help to your brother and his dream?"

"I… that's… It doesn't matter if I don't have an answer now. I will find one when the time comes."

She fumbled at first but answered in a firm tone. Yang momentarily believed that the girl's determination deserved praise.

"You haven't even given it a thought. Do you seriously want to help your brother in his dream?"

"What're you saying? Are you saying my resolve is half-hearted?" The Arc held a fist to her chest as she spoke. "I, alone, know how hard my brother worked to get to where he is now. I understand how determined he is to become a hero. Someone like you, who has no relation to either of us, have no right to question my resolve nor do you have the right to insult his."

"…"

Pressing on, Jeane's eyes shone with determination.

"Whatever your reasons are, your words will not make me falter. My brother gave me everything I am. To stand by his side to support him in return, that is how I want to live my life. And I will not let a stranger's words separate him from me ever again."

"…"

Reus didn't reply. He only glared back. Yang thought he had given up his verbal assaults after seeing how resolute Jeane stood for herself. But both girls failed to see the realization in his eyes as he studied the Arc standing before her very first enemy.

"No," he spoke. "I was wrong. You have a strong determination. I'm sorry for doubting your resolve."

"Then…" Jeane started. She felt relieved that they had started coming to an understanding. But that relief only lasted for a moment.

"But I was right. You _are_ a nuisance."

Reus was smiling.

"Eh…"

"What...?"

"Heheheh. I just realized." He was laughing. "I was wrong about the strength of your willpower. But it's misdirected."

"…"

"What are you saying? 'Misdirected'?!"

"Hahahahah. The way I see it, you aren't here to 'support him'," Reus smiled devilishly, as if to insult Jeane's knightly pride. "You're here because you 'need him'."

"?"

"!"

"You said it so yourself. You were 'powerless' without him. You wanted to be 'right by his side' for as long as you live."

"!"

"…"

As he spoke, Yang gradually caught on to the meaning of his words. Jeane, however, had already understood the meaning behind them first and had her head low. Her long and messy blonde hair hid her face, but the sound of grinding teeth told Yang how she was taking it.

"How cute! A little girl with a brother complex couldn't take being separated from her dear twin that she did all she could to pass the entrance exams, going so far as to push her limits, all to have a shot at being together with him again." And so, Reus continued his taunting. "How would her poor brother react, seeing that his pitiful little sister is desperately trying to follow after him. I highly doubt he can take care of her and follow his dreams at the same time."

"'Take care of'… Are you implying that I'll 'just get in his way' again?! Why would you spout such baseless assumptions?!"

Her cries were pained, almost as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Reus, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy it.

"Baseless? Just where do you think we are?"

"Eh?!"

"This is Beacon, a Huntsmen school, where students are trained to fight Grimm, the scourge of our world. Do you think, for even a second, that those monsters will give a damn about your reasons for being here? NO! They don't."

"What are−"

"Still don't get it? Students who graduate here will be forced to work, risking their lives fighting Grimm, as Huntsmen. The job itself has the highest death toll compared to any other career. The way I see it, you aren't here for any of that. You're only here for your brother. The resolve you have for being here is for your brother. And you expect me to believe that you will stand by his side through all that?"

"Even if those monsters bare their fangs at him, I will fight for Jaune. I won't let them get in his way."

"'His way' or 'Your way'? All you want to do is live by his side for as long as possible. Am I right? Then have him quit and bring him back home. That way, he'll live longer. Even better, both of you will."

"…"

Jeane didn't reply. Yang, standing on the side, studied the logic behind his words.

It was true that Huntsman, especially the unprepared fresh graduates, lived very short careers. If it were someone she knew, she wouldn't, no, couldn't ignore the possibility of them dying on the field. She wasn't doubting Jaune's strength. Even if he was a pipsqueak at the start of their first year, he was a hard worker with a good head on his shoulders.

But even Jaune had his limits. If Jaune had to protect someone other than himself, more so, alone without his team to have his back, the possibility of living dwindles even further. You can't expect Pyrrha, Ren and Nora to _always_ be by his side forever. Even the other students had dreams and lives of their own. This was common a fact for all Huntsmen and Huntresses that graduate from their school.

The indirect warning from Reus was conveyed perfectly. Just by the silence and the look on Jeane's face, it was obvious she was deeply contemplating whether what she was doing was contradictory to her brother's well-being.

"Still, it'll be more like he'll live his life longer being known as just a childish dreamer. A failure who never made his ideals a reality. A real quitter. After all, the reason would be his helpless little sister's selfish desire to monopolize−"

CRASH

"…"

"!"

"… say it again… I dare you…"

A chilling whisper from the front and a deafening clatter from the back. Without any warning, a chair flew towards the boy from the front. The wooden piece of furniture had barely missed Reus' head by a hair's breadth and shattered at the wall behind him on impact.

"SAY THAT AGAIN, YOU BASTARD!"

Jeane was angry. In a split second, her quiet countenance flipped into a raging visage. Contrary to her, who had lost all composure and was grabbing another seat, Reus calmly stood still with a hand to his hip, seemingly relaxed at the sudden assault, as if expecting it. But the pitying gaze he directed to the front in response had a dangerous glint in them. Receiving said gaze, Jeane returned her own with rage and picked up another chair to throw it at the boy. With all her strength, the seat took flight.

It soared towards his head, or it would have if not for Yang punching out of the air. She had finally chosen now to intervene. In all honesty, Yang had wanted to do so earlier, but the sheer bloodlust she felt from both the front and back of the room made her flinch for but a moment.

CRASH

"Take it easy, Jeane! Just put the chair down!"

Yang shouted out but was immediately ignored. Jeane had already grabbed another seat and prepared to fling it once more. That is, she tried.

As she was ignored by a rage-driven Arc, or rather, she was betting on it, Yang pounced into action. With a quick dash to the front, Yang tackled Jeane head-on with her outstretched left arm. On contact, she used her momentum to push her target back a few steps and moved behind the girl to bring her other arm around her.

"GUH!"

With her arms trapped in the bear-hug, Jeane struggled against Yang's bosom to no avail. After a while, she realized her legs were still free and attempted to change her method of attack.

CRASH

With a quick sweep, she sent another chair crashing to the back of the room. Fortunately, it missed by a mile, leaving Reus disappointedly staring her down.

"Jeane, stop! Anymore and you'll be in bigger trouble with Goodwitch when she gets back!"

Hence, where they were now.

Excluding Yang who wore a worried expression for Jeane, both sides glared at each other with contempt that could kill. The first to relax was Reus, who, with a sudden uninterested look, returned to his seat and rested the side of his head on the palm of his hand. He made a bored expression directed at Jeane before looking the other away. It seemed like he lost interest.

'Probably because Jeane had stopped trying to get herself expelled,' was Yang's assumption.

Dropping her glare, a moment later, Jeane took a seat at the front of the room without another word. With her head lowered, she avoided making eye-contact with either of the other two. Her sitting posture leaned over the desk, completely devoid of any lady-like air from before the argument.

Yang, free from restraining anyone, decided to lean back against the blackboard, watching out for any more violent or antagonistic actions from the other two blondes. She already knew that Aureus was doing it on purpose, however, she didn't have the slightest idea as to why he would provoke Jeane.

It was painfully obvious that the two had never met until today. Even though Yang wasn't exactly the sensitive type, just from her talk with Reus earlier, she had picked up that the guy wasn't one to pick a fight out of spite. Yang thought about what went wrong. The exchange between the two up till the argument was a simple conversation about their reasons for being here.

'At the time, I even thought he was slightly worried about how inexperienced she actually is. Was it my imagination?'

In her head, an avalanche of assumptions poured over her. Was he worried, is he just in a bad mood, or did she do something to piss him off. All of this thinking gave Yang a headache that she decided to think of something else to keep her cool.

She tried thinking of a way to cheer Jeane back up, but then noticed that, with Rex in the room, it seemed impossible. Well, if the person you hate was sitting right behind you while you tried to be happy, it was obvious that your mood would drop even lower. Yang could understand that feeling. What if she left and brought Jeane with her? Maybe a tour around Beacon could lift her spirit. Then again, they couldn't leave for fear of Goodwitch. Staying in the awkward atmosphere of the room was getting them nowhere either.

"Haaa…"

With nothing else to do, Yang let out a frustrated sigh. Her eyes drifted over to the depressed little sister sitting before her. Jeane was still depressed, or maybe she was even more depressed? She switched over to Aureus. He looked like he was trying to ignore both girls as he stared of into space.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…"

Due to the ever so tensing atmosphere, Yang let out another sigh, oblivious to the faint sounds of voices and familiar stilts.

Outside, a teacher was being accompanied by another little sister while they returned from their trip to the infirmary. Trailing behind the little red, Glaus, Shei, and a well-rested Fran kept their silence. Goodwitch was back to her straight face as she leads the trio down the hall.

"Ms. Strega and Mr. Miles, I trust that the both of you will avoid any more trouble, at least until tomorrow? We wouldn't want to send you off before you pass Initiation, now wouldn't we?"

"Y−yes, Professor."

"I'll keep Reus from causing any more trouble."

"Good," Goodwitch smiled at their cooperative attitudes but quickly reverted to her standard stern-faced expression. "Ms. Braunbar?"

"Yes, Ms. Goodwitch?"

Fran, suddenly being called by the instructor, had a nervous expression on her face. Although Goodwitch wasn't reprimanding her, the girl appeared to be on edge. Glynda wondered whether it was just her timid nature.

"Thank you for giving me your papers directly. I was wondering if Professor Hrothgar had forgotten to pass them on to you."

"You know Verne?" she asked, a bit surprised.

To note, she hadn't yet decided on how to refer to her new guardian. But having something to refer him with was better than not. Calling him 'Uncle' didn't sound right and having a third 'Dad' seemed even more out of place. The guy didn't even act, let alone, present himself like a parent so she was unsure of what to do. For the time being, calling him 'Verne' was the best option she had.

"Professor Verne Hrothgar works as an instructor here at Beacon Academy. And please refer to him as "Professor" or "Sir" during class."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Chided by Goodwitch, Fran replied in a quieter tone. Although Glynda thought she overdid it, Fran didn't seem to take the scolding that badly.

"Also, while you're here at Beacon, make sure to take proper care of yourself. Collapsing because of hunger like you did a while ago is more dangerous when it occurs out on the field."

"I understand, Professor Goodwitch"

It wasn't Glynda's intention to berate the timid girl too much, but the sight of the girl pulling down the edge of her hood made the instructor think that Fran was not used to being scolded by a stranger. Despite that, she could see that the fault of this afternoon's fiasco lies not with the young girl trailing behind her.

"Anyway, it was most likely Verne's fault for not even letting you get a proper meal until you arrived. Honestly, he still hasn't learned how to handle his students properly."

"Well, Professor V did say he's never been a teacher before."

"Five months as one probably isn't enough for him to be called a professional instructor at this point."

"He did say he's cool with teaching the third years, but he's still struggling with how to handle us, especially Nora."

"Yes, well, Ms. Valkyrie might be too high of a level gap for someone of Verne's experience to handle. Make sure to remind your Team and Jaune's to hold her back in case of trouble. Her track record is even thicker than yours, Ruby."

"I'll make sure we do, ma'am!"

The sight of Goodwitch complaining about her colleague's unpleasant habits momentarily threw three teenagers off from their train of thought. Ruby, however, just giggled and spoke her own thoughts, making for a strange exchange between teacher and student. Well, in the eyes of the three older teens, it was obviously strange. You wouldn't really expect a troublemaker to get along with their disciplinarian, would you? (This only applies to exceptional cases, e.g. in RWBYverse and fandom XD)

"But, regardless of this being Verne's fault," the professor returned to her lecturing. "Ms. Braunbar, training yourself to be independent is one of the many skills required by Huntsman and Huntresses-in-training. Make sure you learned from this experience. That goes for all of you."

The three nodded unanimously. Despite the mean first impression of a stern, straight-laced office worker that Glynda gave off, everyone present could tell that Goodwitch was lecturing them not just because of her job, but that it was out of actual concern for them.

This was one of the many aspects of the teacher that Ruby had learned from having studied under the blonde instructor for the past year. Owing to this, her childish smile was also for Glynda, who obtained three more students that didn't see her as a complete terror. But such opinions were best kept secret from the professor herself.

"Now that the problems have been cleared up," Goodwitch cleared her throat as they walked past the empty classrooms. "Ms. Arc and Mr. Rex will be let off with a warning. I have already contacted Jeane's brother so that he may also be informed of his sister's wrongdoings. Make sure to remind them of my warnings, are we clear?"

Glaus immediately nodded in confirmation. Fran, paused for a second to register something before following suit. Shei also nodded although she didn't have any actual relations with either of the blondes in question except for Aureus saving her just a while back.

"And, Ms. Rose," Glynda turned to Ruby who was skipping next to her. "Please tell your sister that your team will be forbidden from leaving the campus grounds until she has completed all of her punishments. She still owes the dorm staff for the mess she made last month in the public bathroom."

Little Ruby quickly lost the skip to her step and almost tripped into the nearest pillar as they rounded the corner.

"But, but, but…"

"No buts, young lady. I have already been too lenient to your team. Anymore would be considered favoritism. Until your teammates have been disciplined, your freedoms will be restricted."

Faced with the teacher's judgement, Ruby's mood dropped quickly. Her previous cheeriness seemed like a lie.

"Once we're there, you are all free to go−"

"Oh? Professor Goodwitch."

Just as they arrived at the room that three blondes where holed up in, a new face that stood in front of the door called out to the professor who−

"Good afternoon."

"Rudy?! What brings you here?"

−made a face that exhibited her surprise.

To the slumped Ruby, it was a rare surprise to see Professor Goodwitch speak this way towards a student. Sure, she uses her students' first names when she isn't angry but the way she spoke always felt like she was keeping them at a certain distance. However, a quick glance at the one who was receiving her friendly mannerisms made her droopy attitude morph into one of curiosity.

Probably around Ruby's age or older, the boy that spoke to Goodwitch wore a vacant expression on his face. Normally, anyone around Ruby's age that had a conversation with the instructor would always try to be as polite as possible. Even if they didn't personally know Goodwitch, they spoke with the teacher like, well, like one would speak to a teacher they were acquainted to (but were slightly wary of). It was easy to understand since Goodwitch gave the feeling that 'one wrong move' = 'fitting punishment for all those involved'.

However, the boy named 'Rudy' spoke not like she was his teacher. To Ruby, at least, she wondered whether they knew each other personally, outside of Glynda's job as a teacher.

"I have been looking for you, Professor. I came to deliver a letter."

"A letter?"

Rudy took out a brown envelope from his bag and held it out to her. Goodwitch received the thin packet with a raised eyebrow until Rudy spoke again.

"Doctor Holly would like to apologize for not being able to come to Beacon. Although she already accepted the job, her health unexpectedly took a turn for the worse and her physician strongly advised against traveling long distances."

The teacher furrowed her brows at the news before opening the envelope.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I hope she gets better, but this is quite the predicament. Classes were supposed to resume next week."

"Rest assured, Professor. Doctor Holly had already expected this to happen. It's why she sent two letters."

"Two?"

"An apology for having to turn you down." There was no change in his expression. "And a suggestion she wanted to forward to the Headmaster."

Goodwitch took a moment to comprehend by what he meant, but after taking a quick peak at the contents of the envelope, she sighed and unconsciously adjusted her glasses with a straight face.

"I understand. I'll make sure Ozpin receives the letter by tonight."

"Thank you. By the way, Professor."

"What is it?"

The switch in tone sounded like he wanted to ask something. Goodwitch quickly placed the envelope under her arm before turning back to the boy with an inquisitive gaze.

"I think you should let your students out now. I don't know how much longer they can take such a tense atmosphere."

While his gesture towards the door behind him made everyone else glance in curiosity, Goodwitch immediately swapped her figurative masks.

'Did they start fighting again?'

With a serious expression and a quick assumption of the situation, Goodwitch stepped towards the door and opened it without hesitation.

"…"

"…"

"… Ms. G?"

Yang was leaning her back on the blackboard when she called out to them. Jeane was slumped on the front row which appeared to be missing a few seats. Lastly, Aureus, positioned at the back of the class glanced at the open door with a bored look on his face.

A quick sweep and the Professor knew something was off. The awkward atmosphere could be felt from the door but without being able to pinpoint whether the cause came from the depressed Arc twin, the tensed Xiao Long, the defiant Rex, or all the above, Goodwitch could only sigh out in relief.

The four students that followed her here from the infirmary could only guess what was going on as they peeked over (or under in Ruby's case) her shoulder into the room.

There didn't seem to be anyone hurt inside the room which was the least of Glynda's worries. If she found them fighting it out again, she would need to expel the two Initiates and suspend the second year. Since there were no injuries or such, she needed to let them go for today.

"Mr. Rex and Ms. Arc, the both of you are free to go. Be warned, I am letting you off with a warning for your use of violence within the campus and there will be no next time. Until you finish Initiation, consider your next violation of the school rules as grounds for expulsion. Ms. Xiao Long, I need a quick word with you."

Just as she finished speaking, two of the three blondes approached the door. First to arrive was Jeane with a blank expression on her face.

"Jeane? Is something wrong?"

"…"

Fran, who stood behind Goodwitch, felt that something about the Arc girl was different and immediately came to her side. However, the blonde almost didn't respond as she shook her head slightly. Just as she was about to inquire further, Jeane started walking down the hall. After getting about ten meters, she broke into a run.

"Jeane?!"

"Ms. Braunbar."

Fran felt that she should follow, but before she could take a step forward, Goodwitch calls out to her. She had expected another lecture from the professor but found out she was wrong as soon as she faced Glynda.

"Next time, I will not tolerate running in the halls. And don't forget to gather at the ballroom by seven, later this evening. Please tell Ms. Arc as well."

Goodwitch gave her a look that said, 'Take care of her'. Fran was glad that the Professor was an understanding person and, after a quick nod to Goodwitch, she immediately took off, running in the direction where Jeane disappeared to.

"Reus, what did you do this time?"

Behind the teacher, another called out to his friend's back. From his words alone, one could tell he assumed that Aureus as the cause behind Jeane's strange behavior and had appeared to be making his escape. But,

"All I did was give her my opinion. If anything, she has a problem understanding my point." The blonde boy's reply carried no hint of remorse.

"It sounds like you aggravated her instead. What exactly did you do?"

"I only told her the truth," he spoke without facing Glaus. "That her 'way of living' is wrong. She's better off going back home."

"'Going back'?" Not grasping the vague explanation, he quickly realized that Reus had started walking away. "Hey! Where are you going?"

"Goin' to take a walk. Talking to that ignorant idiot made me remember some bad memories. If you got questions, ask the bimbo after her chat with Goodwitch. I need to vent my stress."

Without letting Glaus make any attempts to stop him, Reus walks away in the direction opposite Jeane's whilst waving a hand in the air. Such an irresponsible, carefree attitude could be taken as rude at face value. But Glaus didn't take it that way. This was the norm between the two when Reus didn't want to talk about the problem. Whatever made him so moody had most likely hit close to home, from the stoic boy's perspective. Reus had a stubborn streak well beyond his control anyways. Therefore, he was left with no other option but to inquire Yang Xiao Long.

"Professor Goodwitch, I will take my leave now."

"Thank you, Rudy. Now, Ms. Xiao Long, could you tell me exactly what happened while I was away?"

Fortunately, Goodwitch thought the same as Glaus and was already on it. Bidding farewell to the boy in the brown beret, the teacher turned to confront the busty blonde.

"Please tell me as well. I am responsible for Aureus and I need to know if he has done something he shouldn't have."

It may seem weird to anyone if he told them that he was 'responsible for' the blonde jerk, but Goodwitch didn't bat an eyelid at this. Instead, she pressed the bombshell for answers.

"Errr… Do I really have to?" She tried to laugh it off and change the topic. "Cuz, wouldn't that be an invasion of their privacy?"

"Be that as it may, that guy has always been terrible at resolving his own problems, even more so when he's forced to explain himself. That's why I need an unbiased observation, so that I can explain for him when need be."

"… Explain for him−?"

"Young lady," the teacher cut her off. "Either you explain to me now or I'll have you pay for the damaged seats in Professor Port's classroom."

How she found out about the seats being destroyed was beyond Yang's own imagination. Realizing that there was no running away from Goodwitch, Yang relented and explained from start to finish. Since she was asked by not just a fellow student but also by the teacher, her side was the most unbiased version of an outside observer.

"I see," Glaus had been stuck in a thinker's pose for the past few minutes as he listened intently to Yang's account of the situation. Before anyone else could break the silence, however, Glaus decided to move first. "Professor Goodwitch?"

"What is it Mr. Miles?"

Goodwitch, who had similarly been listening attentively next to him, raised an eyebrow.

"Could you please ignore this entire matter just this once?"

"And why exactly should I pardon Mr. Rex?" questioned the professor. "Based on Ms. Xiao Long's story, he blatantly provoked Ms. Arc into attacking him to get her into trouble."

Rather than daring him to challenge her authority, her tone was akin to demanding a reason as to why.

"I understand that, Ma'am," Glaus replied in a calm, yet serious, tone. "But I still ask you to excuse his actions. He's been under a lot of stress for a while now. The fight at the cafeteria and this incident too, both of which were caused by pent up mental pressure."

"…"

"As his former partner, I should've handled the situation sooner. If anything, it's my fault."

"Your pasts aside, a first year dared to provoke a fellow student to break the school rules just after being warned about violating them himself."

"…"

"There is a thin line between accidental and intentional, Mr. Miles. The brawl during lunch may have been a misunderstanding, but the use of violence on another student has not and never will be condoned as an intervention measure to bullying."

"…"

"Such behavior will never be tolerated in this school. Stress or no, owing up to your actions is something all students and staff members is required to do, regardless of circumstance."

"…"

Cold was her tone, icy was her gaze. The Goodwitch ('Good' should've been switched with 'Ice' here) stood, crossed-arms, as she lectured Glaus with an admonishing expression. Even the three other observers could feel the chill as they watched the exchange between the two. From the sidelines, the three girls couldn't say or do anything as the instructor had a point. Not that they wouldn't, it's just that they couldn't side with Glaus who was desperately covering for his friend.

"In the first place, no one should tell you the rules as you are obligated to−"

"Glynda," a calm voice had cut-in the blonde instructor's berating. "You shouldn't expend too much energy on a single incident. It's not good for your health."

""Professor Ozpin?!"" a couple of sisters called out in surprise.

"Headmaster?!" a startled Goodwitch called out in surprise.

""?!"" a couple of Initiates turned to face the newcomer in surprise.

Basically, everyone failed to notice the sudden appearance of the headmaster of Beacon Academy until he spoke up. His thin presence had allowed him to approach without alerting anyone, including the only Faunus in the group.

"Rules aside, you shouldn't overlook their circumstances immediately," turning to face Glaus, Ozpin's gaze made the boy absentmindedly straighten his posture. "Let today's incident be left as warning. Probing the matter any further would be unproductive. As you can see, stress can even get to my staff as well."

"Thank you for understanding, Professor Ozpin."

With his gratitude expressed in a firm nod, Glaus finally relaxed.

"Make sure to remind your fellow classmates about following the rules as well," Ozpin took a sip from his ever-present coffee mug. "Even if Professor Goodwitch lets you off with a warning, the same cannot be said for the rest of my staff. I allow them to exact discipline in the way they best see fit. This is a lesson for the both of you and a reminder to the two of you."

""Yes, sir.""

""Eheheh…""

"Good," Nodding at the two Initiates response and glancing with a smirk at the pair of sisters last, Ozpin tapped his cane to signal the end of his talk. "Run along now."

"Glynda," now with only his fellow colleague within earshot, Ozpin spoke in a more open tone than he did with the students. "You should forgive their actions for now. You know that they're only first years."

"(Sigh) I already have," snapped the lamenting Glyn. "But, aside from the fact that they _are_ first years, according to the data, Rex, Miles and Arc are all at least the same ages as Ms. Xiao Long. They should know better than to blatantly disobey school rules."

"They may be older than the average first year," smiled Ozpin. "But the difference is still just a year, still within the bounds of children. You should be more understanding. Don't forget, you too were once their age."

"Stop talking about the past," Glynda irritably replied. "Things like that should be best left forgotten."

If anyone saw her reaction, they would make the crucial mistake of believing that Goodwitch was really embarrassed about her past and made sure to keep it buried. But Ozpin knew otherwise, causing his lips to form a nostalgic grin.

"By the way," Ozpin raised an eyebrow, expecting a question. "You said I 'shouldn't overlook _their circumstances_ '. Exactly what did you mean by that?"

Ozpin took a long sip, seemingly emptying the mug as he stared off into the campus grounds. Goodwitch expected a serious answer. By experience, she knew that the longer the sip, the graver the answer. If he averted his gaze, even more so. Yet, for this day only, she was sorely disappointed.

"Did you know that James would drop by tomorrow evening?"

"What?" she asked with a stunned expression. "Wasn't he supposed to arrive together with his gifts to the Valean Navy?"

"Yes, but he notified me earlier yesterday that he'll be dropping by early. This could be his straightforward way of telling us that it's a personal visit. He must be anxious to see us again."

A groan came from Ozpin's side. A quick glance and he saw his fellow teacher quickly shift her expression. The annoyed face that preceded her currently calm visage was what Ozpin believed to be her true face that she'd been hiding from the students all day long. He was unbelievably right. The stress _was_ getting to her. With a grin, Ozpin turned the other way and started walking.

"Wait a minute, Ozpin."

Or so he would have if Goodwitch didn't call out to him.

"This is for you. Holly couldn't make it, so she sent this for you."

A glance at the contents of the envelope was all Ozpin gave it before taking it under his arm.

"If the Doctor thinks this is the best course of action, I don't see why we shouldn't approve of it."

"But wouldn't it be better if−"

"We don't have the time to search for another instructor in this field. Having Bart do it would put a strain on his ever-busy schedule as it is and Peter is not exactly the best option for this subject. If Holly herself proposed it, then I will respect that decision. It's Holly we're talking about so there is no need to worry."

Glynda looked at him with cynical eyes. Ozpin's trusting nature was one of his best points, but it was also, most definitely, one of his weaknesses.

"You shouldn't be concerned about this topic for a while though."

His tone changed. Glynda picked it up almost immediately.

"Setting aside the fact that it's a personal visit, James has informed me that this appointment actually has something to do with your students. In this case, we should deal with it professionally and see what it's all about."

With the envelope under his arm and the mug and cane each in a hand, he continued to leave.

"And besides," he added. "Both will be under our care at Beacon so the best move right now is to prioritize investigating the most volatile."

The sounds of footsteps and a tapping cane echoed through the empty classrooms, which left Goodwitch sorely alone.

This is something our dear Professor Goodwitch learned after meeting Jaune Arc: The most suspicious of people deserved to be investigated, however, they must also be given a chance to explain themselves.

Just by her expression alone, anyone could tell that she was deeply pondering on something. A minute followed and soon, she was opening files and skimming through student data on her terminal. The privately-owned version of the scroll device wasn't designed to handle so much information in such a short span of time, something many teachers and instructors, particularly Oobleck, were grateful for in the design of the Beacon-distributed staff scrolls.

After a few more minutes, she found the student file she was looking for and opened it. Skipping past the basic data like 'name', 'age' and 'gender', she searched the entries regarding 'past educations', 'guardians', and 'past instructors'. But as soon as her eyes found the entries, she winced.

Blank, empty, missing, whatever one could call it, she couldn't find any recognizable school under the 'preliminary combat training' category or the 'basic education' section. The entries concerning 'Aura data' and 'Semblance description' were blanks as well. Everything was left vacant except for the person responsible for his education. Regarding the target of her suspicion, too many blanks appeared here and there in his records, making it hard to believe he was an actual transfer student accepted at Beacon.

Regarding the incident with Jaune Arc in the past, Ozpin excused the boy for the actions he took during the Breach incident as well as recognition for his progressive growth. But those papers were recommendations. Simply put, the information required in them concerning the student were minimal at most. Having transfer papers filled with blanks was even more noteworthy than a disappointing recommendation.

'Who is he?' was her primary question. But obviously, she couldn't find an answer from the data available to her alone. Direct confrontation would only lead to an even greater conflict so another interrogation today wouldn't do. She did, however, know who to ask. No need to be impatient about it either. After all, he was coming to visit in a day's time. Listed as both his 'guardian' and 'instructor' was one man. Coincidentally, that man just so happened to own both the title of General and Headmaster of Atlas Academy.

"Haaah, James, about to ask another favor you can't repay again? I hope not…"

No one else heard the disgruntled growl aimed at said General/Headmaster.

Starting off a new perspective. To quote, the easiest way to find the truth in any scenario is to always remain unbiased and never stray from the facts. Regardless of the storyteller's position, the listener must only receive relevant and uninflated truths.

"That arrogant jerk doesn't understand! In fact, he did nothing but insult my brother's dreams and even dared to call it rubbish!"

On a side note, someone who only wants to be in the right might omit a few details and warp a few facts in their version of the story. Needless to say, a certain girl who had her beliefs ridiculed by a complete stranger would apparently do so. Why wouldn't she? Her feelings were hurt.

"Calm down, Jeane!"

"But…"

"If you make a scene again, you might cause problems for your brother. So please, calm down."

"Mm… ok…"

Reluctantly, the blonde in armor quieted down. Jeane embraced her knees together with her forehead resting on her arms, a sitting fetal position. Next to her under one of the many trees of the campus grounds, Fran sat back with her arms supporting her while her feet stretched forward lit out a sigh in relief.

The girl in the hood had caught up to her runaway companion and had her explain the reason for her actions while they sat in the shade. The moment she made eye contact with Jeane, though, she quickly regretted it. What followed were a series of insults and complaints about the boy they had left behind. Seemingly, Jeane sounded insulted by the fact that there was someone brave enough to deny her raison d'être. Maybe it's because she noted that Jeane's actions could get her twin in trouble, but Jeane had immediately fallen silent after her ranting.

"Basically," after a moment, Fran broke the silence. "He disagrees with how you want to live your life and, instead, decided to give you advise about it?"

"Mm," Jeane nodded in response.

"Then," Fran furrowed her brows under her hood. "Why did you have to throw a chair at him? All he did was point out what he believed to be wrong. Even if he did it rudely, did he do something to make you lash out at him?"

After taking in the story, this was the question that fluttered through Fran's thoughts. In her perspective, the boy simply offered his opinion. His methods were, according to Jeane's story, somewhat discourteous, but there was still truth in his words. Jeane reacting by assaulting him was beyond Fran's expectations. This led to a dubious conclusion. Reus had probably said something else besides rudely denying her way of living.

"… He−…"

Proving her point, Jeane raised her head to protest, only to hesitate and grit her teeth in frustration.

'Was it something really personal?' Fran waited in silence, letting the blonde collect her thoughts.

The campus was filled with the sound of bustling students here and there. Lunch break had already been long over and many of their fellow Initiates were touring the grounds. As they were situated under one of the trees far away from the paths, the chances of being eavesdropped was close to zero. Still, all this time, Fran had spoken to Jeane in a soft tone that only she could hear.

It was not in her nature to be loud. If anything, she preferred the quiet. One of the reasons being that her perception or awareness of other people's state of minds was more accurate when they were surrounded by silence. Previously, when they toured the school together, Fran had sensed an innocent excitement from her companion. Currently, Jeane was covered in an air akin to that of a child who ran away after losing an argument. Call it a sixth sense, instinct or girl's intuition, she could tell that Jeane needed some time to answer her question.

Jeane took a deep breath, clearing her mind.

"I said it a while ago, about how dependent I was on him throughout my childhood."

Fran didn't nod in response, but Jeane continued while slowly lifting her gaze up to the sky.

"Back then, I was the clumsiest of all our sisters. I easily gave up on trying anything I messed up in. Becoming friends with someone, trying out new hobbies. If my brother didn't already try and succeed, I would never follow his lead."

Self-deprecating thoughts were voiced. But then, a beautiful smile formed on the blonde's face.

"But even though Jaune was clumsier than I was, he never stopped trying. He had never once given up if he knew he could try again. I've always admired that persevering side of Jaune. He always believed he could do anything through effort alone and didn't care about what others said. I respect and love him for being able to do what I couldn't."

Fran quietly listened as Jeane spoke her honest feelings. A peaceful atmosphere surrounded the blonde, creating a dreamy-like, almost fairy tale, setting, so dreamy that it almost made the hooded girl jealous of the affectionate words she spoke for her brother. If such a setting persisted, even Fran wouldn't be surprised to see birds or butterflies land on the tip of Jeane's fingers. Guaranteed, that scenario would paint a romantic picture of a handsome knight basking in nature's blessings. But alas, such a picture was not to last long.

"That's why I will never forgive those that insult him and fail to recognize his efforts."

The atmosphere changed immediately when she added that phrase. A chill ran down Fran's spine as her instincts told her to stay as quiet as possible. A thick air of bloodlust emanated from the blonde knight as if the peaceful calm just moments ago was a lie.

"My brother, from the very beginning, has done all he could to get to where he is now through effort alone. I could never do anything for him except offer my support for his efforts. Anyone who dares dismiss Jaune's dream as nothing but a childish fantasy doesn't deserve my respect."

"Jeane, calm down."

Unable to take it anymore, Fran sought to bring the Arc back to her senses. Because she had let out quite an intense murderous intent, more than a handful students had turned their way out of caution. To Fran's relief, the moment she grabbed Jeane's shoulder, the thick atmosphere quickly dispersed as if it was also a lie.

"Ah… Sorry… I lost myself again…"

"It's alright."

"I must be a bother," Jeane hid her face as she spoke. Her slumped shoulders told Fran that she was being moody again. "Making someone I just met this morning listen to my problems, I really am pathetic without my brother."

"I don't mind. You shouldn't keep stuff like this bottled up anyways. At least, that's what I heard."

She spoke only her honest feelings. Having to hold on to one's anger was not healthy. Not to the one holding it in nor to those around them. However, although the words were meant to comfort the blonde, what followed was quite unexpected to the calm Fran.

"It's all because that jerk called Jaune 'useless'. MMGH! The next time I see him, I might completely lose it! But if that caused trouble for my brother, that jerk will make fun of Jaune even more. GAAAAAH! What should I do?!"

Frustrated out of her mind, Jeane held the sides of her head as she shook it in vexation. Her messily tied ponytail became even more of a mess as the thick black ribbon tails swayed in the air behind her. Perhaps it was her way of expressing herself, but Fran found it funny that the lady-like Jeane who introduced herself in such a polite manner just some time ago had quite a flustered side to her when she was frustrated on what to do. Fran only giggled in amusement.

"But wouldn't laughing at your brother only bother him slightly?" Fran posed a question. "You said so yourself. He's a persevering hard worker who only focused on his goal. If he had the whole-hearted support of his twin sister, wouldn't he be more worried about you rather than himself?"

"You think," Jeane returned her gaze up to the clouds. "That Jaune would be more worried about how people treat me?"

"If I had a sister like you, I know I would."

"… Thanks… for that…"

For the umpteenth time today, Jeane Arc switched expressions once more. Now back to one filled with gratitude, Fran was certain that the girl had finally achieved a peace of mind as the blonde seems to have forgotten all about 'that guy' and his 'words'.

"In any case, I'm just glad my first friend at Beacon wasn't expelled on her first day."

"… …Eh!−AH!?"

The phrase alone caused Jeane to twirl on the spot. Shifting her head to face Fran, her ribbon came undone and one of the black tails slapped her across the eyes, quite a self-triggered surprise attack. Though in pain, Jeane's cheeks flushed as a beautiful smile formed on her face. Not even Fran's low hood or the blonde's messy hair could hide Jeane's glowing expression from hearing the words 'my first friend'.

GGGGUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGG!

Correction: Not even Fran's low hood or the blonde's messy hair could hide Jeane's embarrassed expression from hearing her belly cry out in indignation.

It seemed that the noontime incident had been keeping her too preoccupied from her own hunger. Fran, having collapsed and brought to the nurse's office for the very same reason, kept her hood in check as she snuck a peek at the sky overhead. The sun had already past its zenith and was between it and setting. Lunch break had ended over an hour ago at least. But as it was the weekends, the cafeteria was probably still open. Scraps and leftovers may be the only things they find there now, but feeding her friend was better than not.

'Is this what having a friend around my age feels like?' she smiled with the thought.

"Now," Fran got up, dusting her camo-print short pants, and quickly held out her hand. "Let's go search for your brother and grab a bite to eat."

"Mm," a hand, clad in a steel gauntlet, grasped the one in black gloves. The hooded ranger helped up the blonde knight.

GGGUUUUUUURRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!

"We probably wouldn't do it in that order though."

"Eheheheh… ..."

The inconspicuous pair of Initiates left their spot under the tree and wandered the grounds, freely exploring the grounds more as they waited for the appointed gathering time. Of course, to avoid any more inconveniences, they had a proper meal before anything else this time.

Wandering the corridors, Reus kept a neutral expression. Although described as neutral, no one would dare approach someone with a natural glare plastered on his face. Hence, his lonesomeness as he roamed the hallway bustling with students with free time. But this didn't mean he had been wandering without purpose.

'Did I go overboard? No. In fact, I should've pushed her further. Self-expulsion would've been the quickest way of getting her out of Beacon.'

With his thoughts as his only company, he collected himself while trying to reassure himself.

'Not getting my hands dirty would also keep e under the radar. Playing the victim never catches anyone's attention, unlike playing the perpetrator. Glaus will probably scold me later for it, but this is for the best. I'm definitely sure of it.'

What is he so sure of, you ask?

'That girl isn't suited for becoming a Huntress.'

And there you have it.

For personal reasons, Aureus Rex had been entertaining thoughts about him being in the right. Mainly, about being right in provoking the blonde girl just a few minutes ago. Yes. He had intentionally done so to get Jeane Arc into trouble. Why you may ask. What could his reason for his treatment of the girl be? Out of spite? Out of personal distaste? A personal grudge? Nay. None of the above. Rather, he did it out of the goodness of his heart. At least, that's what _he_ believes.

'She's better off living a normal life, away from Hunter schools or Grimm. At the very least, I wouldn't have to…'

( _You_? What would _you_ wouldn't have to 'what' exactly?)

He stopped in his tracks. Not because he saw something, or someone caught his attention. No. He just realized the mistake he made within that train of thought and corrected himself.

'Her brother wouldn't have to cry over the dead …'

Such were his thoughts. And such was his reason.

BOOM CRASH BAM BAM

Unnaturally, the sounds of explosions, crashes and gunfire began to echo throughout the hallway as the floor shook beneath him. Coming back to reality, Reus noticed that it was suddenly rowdy in his immediate surroundings. Groups of second years and higher were rushing past him as they headed towards one of the open doors down the hall. Coincidentally, Reus overhears their conversation as they brushed past him.

"Hurry up, man! Verne's back from his vacation!"

"Who's his opponent today?"

"JNPR's up next. It's another 4-point-elimination match up."

"A 4PE game again? What's the betting pool lookin' like this time?"

"Fifty on the Nikos, forty on Valkyrie, ten on Lie. All for four points each."

"Nil on the Arc again? No surprise there." (XD)

"Tell me about it. The dude barely lasts ten minutes in there and Verney's already takin it easy on them."

"Oh! Oh! New bet. Sixty lien says that Arc gets kicked out under seven minutes."

"Seventy-five says he's out under five!"

"Double or nothing, out in three!"

"You're on!" (My boy Jaune gets bets. Just not the good ones… (^ o ^))

From the conversation alone, Reus perked his ears.

'A match? And Arc, they said. Her brother's participating?'

With his interest piqued, he followed his upperclassmen through the open door of the training arena.

Spacious was one way to put it. The room resembled the auditorium in that bleachers encircled the raised platform in the center where most of the lighting had been directed at. The seats weren't full but quite a number had already gathered. Some had positioned themselves around the arena floor themselves. The main attraction was the group of five clashing at the center of the raised platform, composed of one adult male and four teenagers.

Interested as he was, Reus took a free seat with an unobstructed view of the soon-to-be battlefield.

"You know the rules. One direct hit is a point. Disabling or blinding is two. Disarming is three and getting out of bounds is a null of your individually earned points. Anyone that gets eliminated while trying to take me out will have their points cut down to half. Each of you should score a minimum of four individual points on me to get a passing mark. Half of your earned points will be totaled up for a Team-Point-Win. A total of sixteen or kick me out of bounds, either condition wins you the match and gets everyone in your team a perfect score for the rest of this week's classes. Time limit is ten minutes. Don't disappoint me now, you hear."

The adult that spoke appeared to be a playboy type of character, with a handsome grinning face yet dressed in a suit like a slob. In one of his sunburned arms, he held an oddly-designed spear that was his height. The spearhead wasn't the standard knife-size tip. It had the length of a short sword and width of two palms next to each other. The shape was even more unorthodox. Triangular in nature, a smaller blade broke off the main one and another, even smaller blade breaks away from it. In summary, it had the shape of a fern leaf, a delicate serrated spear. The shaft was thick especially around the grip, forming a flat trigger. (FYI: Like the one on Ruby's scythe.)

A whistle blew to signal the start of the match.

"Pyrrha, on my left."

"On it!"

"Ren, cover fire."

"(Nod)"

"Nora, remember the plan?"

"(Nod)"

"On my signal, bring the rain."

"You got it!"

All four teens split up. The blonde that called the shots had a shield and sword at his side. His gear was akin to an atypical knight. The redhead followed his lead next to him. She had the same type of equipment, attire being bronze leather armor, sturdy yet light in nature. The first to attack was neither of them.

It was the spearman.

Without moving away from his spot, he lifted his weapon and aimed the spear tip at the two. A squeeze of his wrist and half of the bladed tip shot out with a shrill sound. Like an arrowhead attached to a wire, it flew at the advancing pair. Quick to react, the blonde in the lead deftly let the serrated blade bounce off his shield while continuing to advance.

Pulling the projectile back via the attached wire, the tall man reattached his weapon and immediately swung it in a huge arc, spinning counterclockwise in the same spot. The length of the spear was still too far for a normal strike to reach, but distance was irrelevant when the wire could be used to extend the weapon itself. Pulling the trigger ahead of time, the blade was sent flying like a deadly flail at the pair. Normally, such an attack method would be too swift to intercept as the end of a flail would carry too much weight to block and snagging the wire could easily sever a limb, leaving the only solution of pulling out of the enemy's reach or, in this case, kill zone. But,

"Jaune?"

"Let it bounce."

The pair didn't do that. Instead, they locked shields. Slanting at an angle, the two created a sloped wall using their shields, forcing the tip to glance over them. Then, they resumed their advance. Only this time, they had a counter attack and rear support.

"Advancing fire."

His partner's shield in hand, Jaune stowed his sword and raised a wall. Pyrrha flawlessly switched weapon form and began popping shots, using her rifle between the gaps of Jaune's defenses as they advanced.

DON DON DON

"Oh? A mini phalanx? Not bad."

With the spear tip touching the ground under his left arm and his right hand at his side, the man quickly side-stepped to avoid the shots the spartan aimed at him. Ripples appeared on the hard-light barrier behind him as he continued to dodge the oncoming rifle fire. Dashing back a few steps, he immediately rolled to the side, forcefully retreating even further than he had originally planned. Before anyone noticed, the number of shots had tripled. Following from behind the two, Lie Ren was spraying their lone opponent with submachinegun fire.

WOOOOOOOO

Cheers came from the bleachers as his dodging suddenly became an acrobatic performance. Ren's weapon wasn't as effective as it should be at their current range. But getting hit by stray shots would spell embarrassment for any pro Huntsman. Therefore, he danced, deflected a few, and dodged the rest of the rapid-fire spray.

DON DON

The shielded duo had gotten closer, leading to a mid-range confrontation. To defend himself, the man used his spear's shaft and flat of the blade to deflect several more shots from the redhead, an impressive display of insane reaction time, then shifted to counterattack.

Lifting the tip of his spear to his side, he swung at the advancing pair's legs. The aim was to trip them before they charged him to a sword fight, a scenario the length of a spear couldn't work in. The first target, Jaune Arc. Before it could come into contact, however, the boy jumped vertically to avoid the blade. This was a bad move as it left him vulnerable in the air. Using right hand, he struck the part of the shaft between the blade and the point he gripped it with his left hand. This would send the serrated edge flying at the boy's flank and, with the right amount of force, be enough to send him careening of the edge of the battlefield, thus reducing the number of opponents.

CLICK CLICK CLANG

Correction: It _would_ have.

Just as Jaune had anticipated the leg sweep, Pyrrha had expected their opponent to target her partner the moment he was left defenseless. In the moment that Jaune had leapt into the air, Pyrrha Nikos had switched Milό from a rifle to a xiphos and impaled her weapon between the spear's multi-blades. The sword form's small blade was enough to stop him from retracting the spear.

CLUNK

Before the spearman could react, however, Jaune included his sword into the mesh of blades, completely locking it in place. Unable to break away, all three stood still for a good three seconds.

"Hm, so you've pinned me down. But that leaves both of you stuck too," the man says in an impressed tone. If you think you're gonna score a hit with just a fist, you'd better be prepared to get knocked down.

"It wouldn't work if it was just the two of us."

The two smiled in reply before raising their shields up again. This time, one was raised up high, the other slanted forward, creating a barrier that protected from above and the front.

"NOW!"

DA DA DA DA DA

BOOM BOOM BOOM

DA DA DA DA DA

BOOM BOOM BOOM

Everyone in the room fell silent as a hail of bullets and shells suddenly fell from on high, engulfing the spearman in smoke and shrapnel. Then, from the side of the smoke pillar, a single figure shot out and rolled on the ground. His clothes were even more of a mess now than he was before the explosion, disheveled and dusty all over, some singed fabric here and there. His hair was also messed up but in a more bad-boy-looking way. On his face was an impressed expression. Side note: He's weaponless now. The sudden assault forced him to abandon his weapon as the pair had it locked between theirs, leaving him disarmed.

"Hoooowee," he exclaimed while dusting himself. "So that's the _rain_? Damn, you four impress me every time."

WOOOOOOOO

Cheers erupted from the crowds once more. Apparently, it was more of a show than it was a training exercise to everyone else in the audience. Overhearing things about gambling bets from the upperclassmen had already convinced Reus that this was more for entertainment than learning from their peers.

"Go get em, Professor!"

"Kick them out already, Verney!"

Cliques of cheering fan girls and booing jocks were of no surprise. However, the content of their cries was quite odd to Reus.

"We love you, Professor Hrothgar!"

"Sensei wa kakkoi!"

"You suck, Arc! Get out of the ring!"

"Kick his butt, Nikos!"

"Valkyrie, drop out in five minutes. We'll pay you with five feet's worth of pancakes!"

"Do it in three and we'll give you all the cakes you want for a month instead!"

"I love you, Ren!"

BOOOOM

"WHO SAID THAT?! GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW, MISSY!" (Nora, ganbare!( o ))

'Looks like her twin isn't as popular as the teacher and his teammates are with the other students…'

Ignoring the explosion directed at the hard-light barrier protecting the audience and cries caused by a distracted, grenade-launcher-toting Valkyrie, Reus made a quick deduction of the situation. Based on what he heard from his twin sister a while ago to what he was hearing from the crowd now, he understood that Jaune Arc was an underdog at Beacon.

'Admired by your sister to the extremes, but exactly why would others look down on you?'

If it was a lack of talent or inexperience in combat, it was too early for Reus to know. And besides, he wasn't close enough personally to make that assessment of the guy. So, it would be rude of him to assume things about Jaune Arc.

'But forcing his enemy to disarm himself in just the first clash, he may be more impressive than others think. After locking down their opponent, they had the option to knock him out or accumulate points by taking free shots at the guy.'

Crossing his arms, he collected his thoughts. Forming a battle plan wasn't his strong suit but Reus tried to understand Team JNPR's nonetheless.

'While they held their enemy in a weapon lock, they took a preemptive, danger-close bombardment from their own teammates. They probably took into consideration that their opponent was underestimating them and took him by surprise. Meaning, they plan to follow up in either of two ways: They understand that their opponent is a pro who can't be taken out quickly with such a direct method, so they're opting to rack up points by assaulting him from afar. A win-by-point plan which is just playing safe. Or: They will soften him up in a drawn-out fight, choosing to either tire or disarm, then eliminate him by ring out once he's open. In other words, a weaken-then-win strategy.'

More cheers erupted from the audience, but Reus watched in silence as he had since coming in the room. The five fighters, on the other hand, readied themselves for another exchange, completely ignoring the crowd. Weaponless, the adult distanced himself equally from each of the four teenagers. Tossing the spear out of the ring, the blonde leader signaled his teammates to surround the enemy. Their formation was the hammer girl and dual-wielding boy flanking on either side and the two shields side-by-side in the middle. Once in place, the adjustable weapons took on melee forms as they began a slow advance towards the man, causing him to back away each step. Once he reached the edge, the air around him changed. He had taken a stance against the four. Team JNPR must've expected their opponent to resist since, instead of stopping, they cautiously continued their advance.

'But there are drawbacks to those plans.'

Reus winced at the thought. His immediate assumption was as follows: The first option sounded easy but required everyone to contribute all their points within the time limit. The fault being _one_ of the four not having any firearm or ranged weapon on his person (Classically-equipped Jaune is Best Jaune). The second, however, was a standard way to win the match but the time limit is too short to wear down a veteran fighter, meaning defeat for the opposition in the long run.

"That man seems more like the type to switch to bare-fisted combat rather than restrain himself to a spear in CQC. That leaves them with the win-by-point option. But, the difficulty of a melee is higher than a shootout. Even more dangerous, that guy was willing to let go of his weapon in exchange for a fist-fight, meaning he has confident in his skill even while unarmed."

(CQC stands for 'close-quarters-combat', refers to fist brawls, knife fights or similar within the range of one's arms) (For all of you that were as clueless as I was before opening the dictionary. XD)

"Good eyes, kid. You a new student?"

Suddenly being spoken to as he voiced his observation, Reus shifted his gaze over to his left side. Standing next to him was a fair-skinned girl in fashionable, brown attire. To say fashionable might be an understatement though as Aureus had never seen a girl casually wear so many accessories all at once. Matching black scarf and bracelet with black roses for design, a few black beaded necklaces, a side-draped skirt, a waist clincher, and black aviator shades.

As the cherry on top, a few locks on the side of her face had been dyed a light shade of caramel. If it weren't for the bullet-riddled bandolier straps that acted as her belt and handbag strap, even Reus would've mistaken her for a rich fashionista or a chic model.

"Yeah," he bluntly responded. "How'd you figure?"

"You aren't cheering for either side and you don't look like you made bets either." Adjusting her beret, she introduced herself. "The name's Coco. Coco Adel. You got a name?"

"Aureus Rex." Switching his attention back to the match, he replied with a cold tone.

"Then, Rex." She didn't sound offended. If anything, she seemed impressed that someone would reply with such an unfriendly attitude. "Are you a gambling man?"

"Not unless I'm sure who'll win."

Coco smiled at his answer. Not a second later, she had pulled out her wallet.

"So? Who and how?"

"Excuse me?!"

"Make a bet, kid. Who'll win and how. Minimum of thirty lien."

Normally, anyone would be taken aback from the statement alone. Random strangers introducing themselves to gamble was, most definitely, on the top of every children's Reasons-To-Call-The-Cops list. But finding the girl interesting, Reus decided to play along. After a minute, he drew a few cards from his back pocket and raised one towards Coco.

"Fifty on the teacher's win. Ring-out elimination for JNPR."

Raising her own card of lien, Coco replied but shouted the following so that the surrounding students could hear.

"Fifty on JNPR for a new best time and a new monthly high score against Professor Hrothgar!"

"Wha−?!"

"What's up?"

"Adel betted _against_ Verney!"

"That's a first!"

"She thinks the professor will lose?!"

"Hey, change my sixty to JNPR!"

"My seventy-five for JNPR too!"

"A hundred lien says Verne losses his top next!"

"No switching! And no nudity bets either! The betting pool is now closed!"

"Hm?" Aside from Reus who remained quiet while scrutinizing Coco with a gaze, his surroundings had suddenly grown into an uproar. Apparently, the opinion of this one girl was enough to rattle the entire arena. The upperclassmen were either franticly begging to change their bets or whispering in doubt.

Coco, on the other hand, kept an expectant gaze on the arena. She had taken off her shades to get a better view of the fight. Though, why she wore the shades indoors was beyond anyone's comprehension. Reus, however, decided to watch the match till the end instead of asking anymore questions.

"Seems kinda noisy today. I wonder who made the winning bid?" Verne Hrothgar held both hands up in a defensive stance while remarking. His left, in a fist held horizontally before him, and his right, hidden behind his back. "So, I guess you kids have a better plan for today compared to last time."

"You bet on it, tough guy!" Nora cried out.

"Nora, now!"

Breaking the encirclement on Ren's signal, the pair of pink and green sprang into action. Ren raised his guns and opened fire while charging. With nothing to intercept with, Verne dodge-rolled to the side, specifically towards Nora. Marking her target, Nora swung Magnhild in a wide horizontal sweep at the man, forcing him to dive to her left to avoid the hammer. As if expecting him to do so, she switched forms mid swing, turning her sweep to a vertical strike from above.

BOOM CRACK

With no time to dodge again, Verne blocked with a cross-arm guard, connecting with the shaft of the giant warhammer. The floor around them fractured from the force.

ZZZT ZZZT

Sparks of electricity zapped from where Nora gripped her hammer. The air around Verne's arms glowed a dark shade of green for a moment. With a triumphant smile on her face and overbearing weight she exerted on his arms, she could tell. Verne had failed to intercept the attack. From the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of green and immediately felt the kick in his gut. The sudden strike pushed him out of under the hammer, but a complete mid-air recovery wasn't possible, and he ended up sliding on the arena floor.

DON DON

Backup wasn't far behind. Due to the range, Jaune couldn't assist his team in attacking the instructor, but that didn't mean his partner wasn't going to help them out. Back on the offensive, Pyrrha had switched back to advancing rifle fire.

Verne was now back to performing flips and rolls just to avoid getting hit. But they were not done. Ren, having recovered from his previous attack, followed up with two more kicks before jumping back and had pushed his target to the edge of the field. Two more steps back and Verne would be eliminated. To end it, a burst of bullets and two grenades were fired in his direction, but Verne was too close to the edge to avoid the volley in time.

Therefore, he chose to intercept.

Dropping the left arm which he used to block the follow-up kicks, he thrust forward his relaxed right palm. The result: A powerful gust of wind that cleared all the dust from the arena as well as deflected Ren's bullet spray. Nora's shells were also pushed aside and immediately detonated on the hard-light barrier just behind Verne, effectively clearing the area of any visual disturbances.

"Look…"

"He used it…?"

"Holy crap?!"

"Verne was forced to use his Semblance!"

WOOOOOOO

At first, the crowd went silent in disbelief, then, they cheered for the rare occurrence that was Verne Hrothgar's Semblance: Wind Flow Manipulation. To be completely accurate, he could control the flow of wind with his hands or anything he held with his hands, using the wind for offense or defense or more. As he was being pushed to the brink without a weapon, the Professor had run out of options to keep his opponents from kicking him out.

"Ren, Nora, next phase, go!"

The two on offense only glanced at their leader for a moment and nodded to each other the next. At their signal, Nora took out a canister from her skirt pocket and threw it on the ground. The container instantly detonated and the pair disappeared in a cloud of pink smoke. Supposedly, this resembled how ninjas prepared an ambush or made their escape (minus the flashy pink).

Verne, however, didn't wait for either to happen. Forming a blade with his left palm, he lashed out at empty space and a gust of wind blew away the smoke. Before it could be completely cleared up, four more canisters of assorted colors flew out of the cloud and popped more smoke. Now the entire stage was obscured by the colorful clouds.

Verne changed his stance and held his arms before his chest like he was holding a ball. Slowly, the air around him began to shift and gather around him. After a few seconds, a small cyclone surrounded him. Then, he released the tempest. Pushing his arms forward like one would when passing a ball, the cyclone dispersed in a wide angle in front of him. The clouds and their canister sources were immediately pushed back to the latter half of the arena, but not one of Team JNPR remained where they stood. The encirclement had vanished.

"What the−?!"

"UP THERE!"

At the shout of the wary audience, Verne's sights were directed to the ceiling. Immediately, he averted his gaze as the spotlights directed at the stage momentarily blinded him. Instinctively, he took a sudden step back just as a red-and-gold javelin pierced the floor and a girl wearing the same colors deftly landed on the ground next to her weapon. Catching sight of his attacker, Verne quickly moved to counterattack. Pyrrha raised javelin and, with a twirl of her wrist, used its xiphos form to block the punch. She returned the attack by shield-bashing Verne in the gut. The man pulled back and skillfully dodged the stabs from the javelin as Pyrrha chased after him. Little by little, he was being pushed to the edge. At just about fifteen steps away, he caught Pyrrha's weapon by the shaft. As she was trying to attack midway through, Verne diverted her aim and forced the tip to stab the ground, leaving her right side exposed as she tried to pull her weapon out of the ground.

"Pyrrha, back out!"

Ren dove in, weapons aimed. He jumped above his teammates head and struck the professor at the shoulder. He almost landed another kick at the man's unshaven face but was blocked by an arm, forcing Ren to pull back. Twirling in mid-air as he retreated, he opened fire. Verne immediately tensed up and blasted wind around his torso, shredding his shirt and rolled-up sleeves in the process. This revealed his large pecs and well-toned abs but also had another effect. The bullets never hit. Instead, they travelled parallel to Verne's skin. Merely averted by the winds, the bullets never even so much as grazed their target.

"""…"""

The hall became silent.

"He's…"

"HE'S STRIPPED!"

"VERNE'S LOST HIS TOP!"

"OH, MY, GAHD!"

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

And suddenly burst out in cheers. Mostly female squeals, but, still. It counts as a cheer. By this moment, Aureus had already forgotten that this was supposed to be a training match between professor and students and not an exhibition show. (Man-service anyone?)

Verne, shirtless and muscled, returned his arms to his sides. Ren had fallen back a few feet away with Pyrrha next to him. Glancing at each other, they made confident smiles. Confused by their expressions, Verne paused for a moment, trying to read their actions. But the pair didn't give him the time to rest. They charged. Pyrrha, with her full strength, threw a shield bash. Before Verne could intercept, he spotted Ren's leg sweep from below, forcing the shirtless professor to dodge backwards instead of blocking either attack. The two didn't let up. Ren followed with a dance of his dual bladed guns, firing and slicing directed at Verne's head, while Pyrrha attempted to trip him by stabbing at his legs with her javelin.

The professor was hard-pressed, losing ground faster than he could dodge. It didn't take long for all three to reach the edge of the playfield. For the final push off the arena, the tired red and green pair quickly assaulted his flanks. Pyrrha shield bashes with her left side while Ren performed a palm strike with his right. However, both were intercepted, one hand each. Ren's strike was blocked by Verne and had the boy's arm locked in a vice-like grip. The same happened to Pyrrha's shield with Verne pushing it back with his forearm. Both wore a surprised expression. It seems they never expected their teacher to have any strength left.

"Haaah. You guys sure are a handful today." Verne sighed while making an entertained smile on his face. In a pinned state, neither could reply as they panted in exhaustion. "What was the point of getting rid of my spear if you're gonna have a tough time knocking me down anyway?"

"Wasn't it obvious?"

Ren asked with a tired smile, confusing Verne even more.

"So that you wouldn't have anything to grab on to!"

Pyrrha answered for them both. That's when they made their move. Using Verne's iron grip to their advantage, they jumped off the ring along with the professor. His surprise was more apparent than the crowd's. The surprise attack laxed his grip on the two and they quickly used his torso as footholds to jump back inside the ring.

As a last-ditch effort, Verne threw both his arms out and directed a full-powered blast of air at the outside of the ring and below himself. The burst was powerful enough to stop him from falling out of the ring and soon, he was flying back into the safe zone.

"Whew, that was tooooo close…"

Verne had saved himself from elimination. He let out a sigh of relief as he was about to make a safe landing.

"Nora, Shooting Star."

That relief was short-lived, though.

"I BELIEVE YOU CAN FLY!"

"OH no wait! I'm not ready−gah−aaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!"

A golden white object flew like a meteor. Its course: the professor who wore a wide-eyed expression while hovering at the edge of the arena.

"LOOK OOOUUUT!"

"WHAT THE FU−GUHOO!"

CRAAAASSSSHHHHHHH

"… W-w-Winner by elimination, Team JNPR! Time remaining: Two minutes and twenty-two seconds!"

It took them a while, but someone from the stands cried out the announcement as soon as he stopped stuttering. But what followed was the whispering of disbelief emanating from the audience.

"Two, twenty-two?"

"They beat CFVY's record of one minute and forty-two seconds…"

"But that doesn't mean they won… did they…?"

"Yeah, unless they get past CFVY's score of twelve points, the only thing they got beat was the time record..."

"Yeah, there's no way… right?"

"…"

Such talk filled the atmosphere. Reus noticed the tension almost instantly. Most of the audience began whispering back and forth, growing even louder as the combatants gathered together. Verne Hrothgar dusted himself off before catching up with Team JNPR who all lined up at his side. Well, at least tried to. Jaune was being supported by Pyrrha's shoulder as he limped next to her. The hall was abuzz with restless chatter until the teacher took the center stage.

"Alright, listen up!" After clearing his throat, the entire place had gone quiet. Smiling devilishly to accentuate his fine-looking visage, he continued. "Every one of you kids know the rules and the score requirements. To prevent biased opinion, I'll announce the scores as always. The results for Team JNPR's match are as follows−"

NORA VALKYRIE  
-Two hits landed (2), a smoke blind (2), contribution to a disarm (3)  
Individual Score: 7 points  
Team Contribution: 3.5 points

LIE REN  
-Three hits landed (3), a smoke blind (2), contribution to a disarm (3)  
Individual Score: 8 points  
Team Contribution: 4 points

PYRRHA NIKHOS  
-Also three hits landed (3), disable by weapon lock (2), using the light to blind (2), also a smoke blind (2), and a disarm (3)  
Individual Score: 12 points  
Team Contribution: 6 points

JAUNE ARC  
-A hit (1), disable by weapon lock (2), smoke blind (2), and a disarm (3)  
-Out of bounds/Eliminated (Divide total by two)  
Individual Score (8/2): 4 points  
Team Contribution: 2 points

TEAM POINTS TOTAL: 15.5 points

"Well, I hate decimals, so I'm rounding up their score to sixteen. This means they take the top spot starting today. As for their reward for beating CFVY's high score, Team JNPR gets the entire month off, including homework and daily sparring. If anyone can do better, I'm giving the victor the "special treatment" after this month is over. Well, that would mean getting a better time than they did while also having a perfect team score. This concludes today's match. Good luck, kiddos."

The professor ended the announcement with a wink along with the mischievous grin he started with, getting some swooning moans from his personal fan club. (+Man-service…) Then, he and Team JNPR decided to vacate the arena. Just as the four victors and the adult left the ring,

"BOOOOOO!"

"Screw it! That new high score is impossible to beat!"

"Kill joy JNPR!"

"Dammit! We were so close to beating CFVY's too!"

"Sensei wa suteki desu!"

"I still love you Ren!"

Jeers, boos and some other nonsensical things were thrown into the stage. As well as a few cans of sodas and some food wrap from the disappointed ones that spectated the event.

"What… the hell… just happened?"

Snatching away the card he held in his hand, Coco smiled as she tossed her winnings into her purse.

"Professor Hrothgar finds it more entertaining to pit students against each other. Actual fighting between teams is fun, but having them compete in scores makes the games even more interesting. Plus, the rewards are much more appealing than good grades. Besides," she glanced over her shoulder. "I ever said that Team JNPR was facing Verne to win against _him._ They did it for the scores at the end of the match."

Reus watched as she walked away, or he would've until he noticed a card fly towards his face. Catching it with one hand, he recognized that Coco threw back a twenty-lien card at him.

"Hey, what's your deal? You said fifty, didn't you?"

Putting aside the fact that he lost, getting money that he didn't earn went against Reus' character. Hence the question.

"I only needed thirty so consider this as your novice-gambler advice fee. Fun tip: You can easily tell who'll win the match not by who fights but by who watches and makes the bets. The better they know both fighters, the more accurate their observations. See you around, Rex."

"Coco! There you are. Guys, I found her!" Just as she walks away, a student with bunny ears approaches her. "Have you been gambling again? We should've left for Vale over an hour ago."

"Chill out, Vel," Coco seemed a bit flustered but smiled at the new arrival. Her composure when talking to Reus was more of a façade compared to her current state. "I was short thirty, so I made a quick buck. Nothing to get riled up on, Eheheh…"

"I really don't recommend doing that. The act alone is a bad example for the new students," another, even larger student made his appearance and agreed with the bunny. On a side note, he was so tall, Reus noticed him from across the seats even before Velvet called out to Coco. "If you were short on money, we could've covered for you just this once."

"Yatsu's really a stickler for the rules…"

"Yatsuhashi's right. Quit causing trouble at a whim already. You're one of the reasons Goodwitch has a lot of shit to deal with when it comes to misled first years."

"Ahahah…"

A third, one added in a cold tone. Dark-skinned, average build and covered in scars, his words were blunter than the pair before him, indicating that he seemed to know Coco on a personal level. Reus then assumed that they were all friends, if not teammates. Their exchange made the scene feel all the more casual.

"When Fox puts it that way, somehow, I feel even worse," Coco says while making a defeated expression.

"So," the girl named Velvet started to walk alongside her team as they made their exit. "Who won?"

"JNPR did. Jaune went with our original plan."

"But didn't the four of us agree that hand-to-hand against Professor Verne wasn't any better than when he was armed?"

"Yeah, well," Coco scratched the back of her head in frustration. "They added some tricks of their own. They even decided to throw the pipsqueak at Verne. Plus, the point count is beyond ours. Aw dammit, it'll be hard to earn back all the perks too with such a good high score."

"We can just do better next time."

Velvet consoled her friend with a pat on the back.

"Although we lost the top placement, it is reassuring to know that our underclassmen are improving as well."

"You're just happy that Ren took your advice, aren't you, Yatsu?"

"Lie only asked for my advice. His performance was due to his own diligence and his competent teammates."

"At least, they do a better job of it than Coco."

Yatsuhashi made a proud face while Fox jabbed at their leader.

"Foxy, baby, is that a challenge?"

"If it's gonna be entertaining, then bring it. I'll make sure you land flat on your ass in the mud again this time."

"Don't ruin the training area again, you two."

"Guys, seriously, let it go."

Ignoring the four's banter as they walked out the door, Reus returned his focus to the arena, specifically, towards the entrance that led to the resting area. It was located at the edge of the arena but within eye-view. He was currently evaluating everything that just happened.

The fight he just observed wasn't one that he expected from a Huntsman school. The way Team JNPR approached their opponent may have been an acceptable method if the target was something they had experienced fighting before. But the way they finished the fight was, without a doubt, the most reckless method he had ever seen. Not even his former instructors from Atlas would accept a victory won through such a ridiculous strategy. Well, there was one exception though, but that man wasn't of the 'normal' category anyway so including him would just complicate matters. However, if he guessed wrong, then Jaune Arc, his teammates, and, most likely, everyone else at Beacon Academy could have been trained to be included in that exception.

Speaking of complicated, Reus suddenly noticed. A grin formed on his face.

'If there was a problem, the best solution would be a direct approach, wouldn't it?'

With that thought, he made his way.

"Haaaaaaaaah. No more. I'm beat."

Jaune sat on the chair, letting out a sigh. Well, less than sat, collapsed is more like it. Pyrrha smiled back in reply while opening her locker door.

"Here, you deserve it," she said, handing out a bottle. "Your plan was a success."

Taking the bottle, Jaune immediately took a gulp of the warm water. This was a bad choice as he ended up with a coughing fit.

"Slowly, Jaune. No need to rush since we don't have classes for the day anyway."

Ren had given his leader a pat on the back, attempting to reassure his friend. Afterwards, he too opened his locker and propped his twin machine guns inside. Taking out a long pink towel, the boy proceeded to wipe himself of his own sweat while Nora assisted him with her own matching pink towel, much to Ren's displeasure. (Not that he could do anything except accept Nora's love. GO NORA ( o )!)

"Don't you mean 'No classes for the rest of the month'? Yeah! We are so awesooooome!"

"Hahahahah," Quite suddenly, a man's laugh entered the room. Looking over to the entrance of the locker room, their instructor leaned against the wall. "If you think it was ever that easy to get away from school, don't you think your upperclassman would've already done that by now?"

"What's up, Verney? Here to congratulate us? Or are you just gonna whine about us kicking your butt really good today?"

"Hahahah," The instructor laughed back as he closed the door behind him. "If you think I'm gonna fall for that again, don't bother. Besides, your strategy today has improved compared to your last few attempts. Even better, it's more blood boiling than the one I had with Team RWBY's. That last attack really got me by surprise. You four deserve the timeout."

"Eheheh," most of Team JNPR chuckled nervously at that memory.

Well, if a certain someone hadn't tried to hit-on his own students AND accidentally shred their beloved hair by accident, then another certain someone could've kept their calm and stuck to the plan before losing her cool and getting eliminated almost immediately. Sad to say, but without someone taking the brunt of the damage, neither Weiss nor Ruby could get a clean shot on their instructor. Blake was most definitely down for the count when she got thrown out of the ring with her partner, leaving the other pair helpless to the more battle-hardened fighter.

"But don't forget that I can only let you guys off _my_ class. If you wanna get another vacation, convincing Goodwitch is the least of your worries."

"What? Why?" asked a confused Nora. "Guys, what's he talking about?"

It seemed that not everyone was on the same page. But, having grown used to Nora's absentmindedness, Ren was quick on the follow-up.

"Nora, I know you wanna cut lose and relax. But we're only exempted from Verne's class. We still have Professor Oobleck and Port to worry about."

"Aw, dang it!"

Nora made a disappointed face. But she immediately changed back to 'cheery mode' as she tried to help Ren change out his shirt that was covered in dust and sweat. This annoyed the stoic boy leading him to always attempt it behind her back. But as Nora was naturally equipped with a Rendar (Ren radar), his attempts were in vain.

"Jaune, don't you mean 'Dr. Oobleck'?" corrected Pyrrha. "You wouldn't want him to give you extra assignments just so you will remember his professional title, now would you?"

"Eheheh. Good point."

Everyone may have already heard about that man's profession, but that didn't mean they would remember it.

"Bart's always been obsessive about his title. Of course, his main reason would be how hard he worked for it. But don't let it get to ya, kids. Even I feel it easier calling him 'Professor'."

"Verney, you knew Doctor Oobleck before starting here?"

Jaune, who had asked, sat up with his back straight. Just as curious as their leader, Pyrrha paused while she stowed away her shield atop her weapon in gladius form. The pink-green duo also listened in. Mainly Ren was as Nora was too busy drying his hair in her towel. (Not that he would notice later as they had similar towels. XD)

"We have our history. In fact, he was one of the ones who asked me out for this job."

"He got you to work at Beacon?"

Intrigued, the whole team directed curious gazes at Beacon's Live Combat Instructor. As he was fairly new to the post, having only started a few months back, they were all fairly interested on his history with another, well-acquainted professor.

"Well, we once cooperated together in a past job. So, you could say I owe him one."

"Really? Doesn't seem like you two would fit well in a team."

"You could say that again, kiddo," Verne merely shrugged his shoulders as he replied to Nora's words. "During the time, we ran out of time waiting for volunteers, so we had no choice but to go it alone, just the two of us."

"What kind of mission was it?"

"Ah, just a quick search-and-rescue gig just around the borders of South Vale. I think it was around seven years ago. We've known each other ever since the job."

"That means you used to work beyond the walls?"

"If you mean 'living life dangerously', yeah."

Saying so with an over-confident, and yet handsome, grin would make it seem like he was trying to show off with a cheap pick-up line.

"… so cool…"

But then again, Jaune had a soft spot for badass Huntsman with badass stories about their heroic badassery. Pyrrha had grown used to this childish side of her leader that she simply chuckled at the sight.

(Reserved Nikos) '… He's so cute…'

(Aggressive Nikos) '… Girl, you know it…'

"My past with Bart aside, what're you guys planning to do with all the free time you have? It's all month, you know? Better make it worthwhile."

"Well, we _were_ planning on just having some fun, like hang out in Vale, eat some cakes, prank a few teachers, break a few legs, not get caught by Goodwitch. Stuff like that."

A very Nora-like answer filled with very Nora-like activities replies Nora as Nora answers for Nora's team.

"We _will_ be avoiding most of that though. Since we are now second years, I believe it is best for us to catch up on our studies. Just because we have fewer classes compared to last year, it does NOT entitle us to slack off."

Ren replies, raining on Nora's parade.

Although he may say this, it won't actually affect Nora negatively. As a matter of fact,

"Aw, come on! One pancake (covered in whip cream, coco-sprinkles, N&N's, Skits, maple syrup, and topped with a bunch of cherries) paired with a hot cup of coffee every day never hurt nobody. I'll let you have a cherry! What do you say?"

This is Nora, negotiating.

"No."

This is Ren, declining.

"Come on! Pleeeeeeaaaasssssseeeee!"

This is Nora, puppy-dog begging.

"You can have the cherries. But no coffee. At all."

This is Ren, compromising.

"Pretty please with just one cup of sweet, sweet caffeine!"

"Nora, I'm serious."

"Aw…"

(Gee, we wonder why… Ren was probably doing this for the sake of NOT ending the world. And maybe we don't have to go through that psychedelic multiverse chibi episode again… (XD))

Fourth-wall breaking aside, only a single thought floated in the minds of the three others in the room.

'So, the diabetic breakfast is okay with you then?'

KNOCK KNOCK

"Excuse me. Is Jaune Arc in? I'd like to talk with him for a bit."

Accompanying the sound of knocking on the door, the unfamiliar male voice called out Team JNPR's clueless leader. Three people all turned questioning gazes at Jaune. The 'questioning' here describes pure curiosity. If the voice was female, and a complete stranger at that, then 'inquisitive' would best describe a certain Spartan's fierce glare. But today was different. Ren and Nora's gazes were particularly curious as it was rare for someone other than their circle of friends to ask for Jaune by name unless he was in trouble. Pyrrha's was filled with a slight worry for that very reason. But, apparently not recognizing the voice, all Jaune could respond with was a shrug of his own.

He got up and opened the locker room's door and came face to face with a pair of beautiful crimson. The owner, an unfamiliar blonde dude with tanned skin, did not have Beacon's uniform on. He didn't seem familiar at first glance before Jaune suddenly remembered. Today was the scheduled arrival of first years. This meant that seeing one could expect several to a few dozen fresh faces freely wandering about before dinnertime. But one calling out to him was beyond abnormal. Even more so as the stranger wore a polite smile like what a businessman would during negotiations.

"I'm Jaune. Can I help you?"

"Aureus Rex. Call me Reus. Do you mind if we chat somewhere else?"

"Uh, what is it about? Is Ms. Goodwitch looking for me again?"

"…" Silence, then, "Ahahaha. No, man. You're not in trouble. Hahah."

Laughing in amusement, it seems that, to the new guy, 'Ms. Goodwitch looking for you' equated to 'you're in trouble'. It was the general thought process of most Beacon students so it was considered the norm.

"Eheheheh. Whew…" Chuckling, Jaune exhales in relief and gives his team a thumbs-up to reassure them. "It's cool. I'm not in trouble this time. Eheheh"

"Ahahaha, haaa, nope. You're not," Aureus calmed himself, then continued in a serious tone. "But your sister is."

"Ehehehe… I'm sorry, what?"

"Jaune, can I call you Jauney?"

"Wait, wha−what are you talking about? Do you know a sister of mine?"

Not answering the Arc's question, Reus pressed on.

"Would you like to hear a story I heard from your twin? It might take a while so could we do it somewhere else?"

"Hey, wait!"

"Jaune?"

Leaving his confused teammates in the room, Jaune quickly followed the guy he just met. He was curious about what the boy called Reus was talking about, but he was even more concerned as to how the guy knew his sister. He may have told his friends that he had seven of them but not once had he mentioned about having a twin. With his back to the Arc, Jaune failed to notice the change in Reus' expression. A cold smile curled itself on his lips.

Evening, inside the ballroom, first year students here and there prepared their sleeping bags. Some inspected their gear for the following morning while others were already asleep. However, tucked away in a small corner of the girls' side, a blonde in bunny-print, sky-blue pajamas had her face buried in a pillow. Sitting next to her, another girl of the same age wearing a brown hooded sweater was nervously fiddling with her thumbs while making a worried face. In an outsider's perspective, one can assume that the hooded one was trying her best to calm down the pillow-strangling one.

"Mmmmmmm…"

"Er, Jeane?"

"MmmMmmm…"

"Are you really alright?"

"MmmmMmmMmmmMmmm…"

"Are you that disappointed that we didn't get to meet your brother today?"

"… … Mmm…"

"Did you really want to see him before Initiation that badly?"

"… … … … Mmm…"

"Eheheh, that's so cute of you Jeane."

"Puha, don't laugh! It's already embarrassing to admit it."

Breaking her strangle-hold on her pillow, Jeane pouted in dismay as Fran struggled to suppress her giggling. When Fran was done, Jeane returned to strangle her pillow once more but, this time, kept half of her face revealed instead of whole-heartedly burying it in the cotton.

The obvious explanation to Jeane's behavior was summarized in the short exchange. Yes, they failed to find Jaune throughout the entire day.

"Why is it so hard to find him today? Mom should've contacted him before I left."

"Maybe he's just a bit busy today."

"Mmmmmmmm… This would've been faster if I had just stolen my sister's scroll before she dropped me off at the station."

'She means to say 'borrowed', right? Right?!' (Wrong XD)

Fran tried to comfort her friend while nervously smiling. It was true that she wanted to meet her friend's dear brother, but there was really no need to rush. If she had to be frank, she, like the many other Initiates in the ballroom, also wanted to get some rest. Considering all that had happened throughout the day, she felt that she needed the shut-eye for tomorrow's main event. However, understanding that Jeane was frustrated and already well beyond Fran's control, she kept smiling while keeping quiet.

"… MmmmmmmMmmmmmmm…"

"The day's not over yet. You just might see him before we set out tomorrow."

"… Mmmmm… But I waited so long…"

"Then can you hold it in, at least, until tomorrow?"

"…"

"Jeane? Your reply?"

"… but I wanna see him…"

"… Eheheh… Haaah…" Fran could do nothing but sigh as she nervously scratched the freckles on her face. She couldn't help it as Jeane was already begging with a puppy-eyed expression while pouting.

Incessant whining aside, Jeane also understood that her behavior was unbecoming for a girl her age. Fortunately for her, as they chose a small corner to place their sleeping bags, not one stranger bothered to notice. On the other hand, Fran's patience was approaching its limit. It was her first time comforting someone and trying to get someone like her new friend to compromise was surprisingly difficult for the tired girl.

Then, her unexpected savior appeared.

"Excuse me, by any chance, is your friend there named 'Jeane Arc'?"

Fran turned to face the unfamiliar girl. Standing behind her, a young beautiful lady with long black hair smiled back in reply to Fran's stare. She would've inquired why the stranger was asking, however, Fran was taken aback. For a moment, she held her breath as she realized how unbelievably elegant this new girl appeared.

'Breathtaking' was one way of putting it, another would be 'transcendent'. Skin as fair as can be, Hair, dark and straight, was tied in a tail by a beautiful ribbon. It was tied so that it covered the left side of her face while flowing down her left shoulder. Not to mention, her eyes, or rather the only visible one, her right eye, glowed royal blue, the same as her ribbon.

It was as if the princess that dwelled on the moon had descended upon the mortal world while still enveloped in her godly radiance. Such a sight was too much to behold for the plain-looking Fran. It wasn't as if Fran was jealous of the girl's features, no. She had grown up and lived her life under the code of efficiency. Such things as looks and presentation were almost of no concern to her. But somehow, at the face of such grandeur, she couldn't stop but admire the girl's beauty. Rather, her current state of mind was more of awe and admiration.

"Um, is there something on my face?"

Apparently concerned as to why the girl in the hoodie only stared back in reply, the stranger's second question brought Fran back to reality.

"Uh, no. There's nothing. Sorry."

Flustered was Fran's reply, eliciting a chuckle from the stranger.

"Akanohi Seika."

"?"

Only when she held out a hand did Fran realize she was introducing herself.

"I'm Fran. Fran Sanctis."

Politely, she returned the gesture.

"Then, Fran," Seika politely asked. "Perhaps you could help me out. I'm looking for a girl named Jeane Arc. She's a blonde with very beautiful ice-blue eyes."

"Can I ask why?"

It was a proper question. Normally, one shouldn't expose the identity of someone they knew to someone they didn't. It might be obstructive or unhelpful in some perspectives or cases. But to introduce a friend to a stranger you just met on their own behalf, it would be an act too intimate for someone she just met. In Fran's case, she believed that pointing at Jeane who sat next to her and saying the words 'that's her' to Seika would be the same as reading the contents of Jeane's diary out loud in the middle of a classroom.

It might be an extreme way of putting it, but Fran was against introducing someone she didn't know to someone she had just met unless she had a reason why she should. Seika must've understood this fact as, instead of getting mad, she obliged to answer while smiling back.

"One of the upperclassmen is waiting outside. He says he needs to have a word with his sister, but since he's a guy, there's no way he could enter the girl's half of the−Uwoaah!"

"Is it true?! Is my brother really looking for me right this instant?!"

"Jeane! Don't attack the stranger!"

Seika couldn't finish her explanation. Why? Because a wild Jeane had halfway pounced onto her and had clung to the new girl's waist. Sorry. 'Clung' may not be the best word. 'Attached herself' is more fitting.

"Eheheh. There's no need to cry. If your brother is named Jaune, then yes, he's outside waiting for you."

Seika could do nothing only smile back as she answered. In the world of normalcy, one would expect a scolding for Jeane's actions especially from a girl her age. But as the blonde's current expression resembled that of a lost child crying out for her mama, Seika did the most reasonable thing she could think of. She made a reassuring smile as she comforted the crybaby with kind words.

Seika used 'Kindness'.

It was super effective. (To Jeane)

"Thank you!" says the blonde as she rushes out to meet her older brother.

However, as Seika had smiled naturally, it had another effect on those who observed from the sidelines.

'Is that an angel?'

'No, she's a goddess.'

'A goddess has descended.'

'I must be dreaming or dead.'

'Did I fall asleep and go to Heaven?'

It was beyond super effective. (To every other girl in the vicinity. No Homo. Or Yuri.)

If Fran had the Semblance of mind-reading or telepathy, these words would've been all she heard. Well, she probably wouldn't notice anyway. Why? Because she, like all the other nearby female students that had been roused by the noisy Jeane, were captivated by a beauty that trespassed into divine territory.

Snapping back into reality, Fran remembered that Jeane had just taken off. Left to watch their stuff, all she could do was sit back and wait for her friend. But before the stranger could leave,

"Uh, thank you, Miss Akanohi," she unwittingly called out to the divine beauty. "For passing the message to my friend, I mean."

"Seika."

"Huh?"

Smiling at the dumbfounded expression she had got in reply, she continued.

"Call me Seika. Akanohi is my surname."

"Ah, I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Most people make the same mistake every now and then."

Fran could only smile back in reply.

"Well, I must be going. I still need to find an open spot to turn in for the night. Sweet dreams to you, Fran."

As she wished Fran a good night, the amused grin Seika returned caused the hooded girl to feel butterflies fluttering within her stomach. Perhaps the immaculate beauty of the girl known as Seika was too much for a recluse like Fran to handle, but having grown up far away from the big city, seeing someone as stunning as her was almost too rare. This was probably the cause for the feelings she currently felt bubbling within herself. Either that or she was hungry again. But before she could figure out which, Seika had already moved quite a bit away from their spot. It would've been rude to pester the elegant beauty anymore for the night and calling out to her while everyone else tried to sleep would just be impolite.

With nothing to do and no one to talk to, Fran just laid down and tucked herself in while waiting for her friend.

'Well, I hope Jeane gets the reunion she's been waiting for. It would be nice if we could both get some rest.'

As the day had taken its toll on her, she entertained such thoughts while drifting away to sleep.

While one child immediately falls asleep, another was bouncing with excitement and joy. Carefully, Jeane tiptoed around the sleeping bags of her fellow female Initiates, quietly making her way to the ballroom's half-open door. Speaking of which, as she got closer, she started to hear voices from beyond the doorway.

"… rules are rules. It's almost curfew, and you know what happens to second-time offenders."

Just as she reached her destination, her excitement almost fizzled out like a sparkler under the rain. Through the visible crack of the open door, Jeane saw her. Standing just outside like a guard dog, the queen of quietness, the teacher of terror, the educator of hell… (Too much?) (Yep.)

Glynda Goodwitch, was reprimanding another student. Terrified that her brother might get in trouble if she was caught again, Jeane snuck up to the door and listened in on the conversation.

"No matter what your reasons may be, you'll have to postpone your meeting with anyone inside until tomorrow."

"But Professor, I−"

"No 'but's. And lower your voice."

Jeane couldn't exactly understand what they were talking about. But she understood one thing. As long as Goodwitch remained on standby at the one and only exit, there was no way Jeane would be able to meet up with her dear brother.

'Tch, if only she would leave.'

Clicking her tongue out of frustration was her first response. But before Jeane could do anything else about it, the conversation outside continued.

"But I already asked someone to help me contact her just a while ago. Can't I wait for just a little while longer, please?"

"… … Oh, all right. We'll wait here for five minutes, but no more than that. Just stay put and don't raise your voice. You can't go inside either. Whoever it is you need to talk to has to come out instead, so you don't bother the ones already asleep."

"Thanks, Ms. Goodwitch!"

"…"

"Oh! Sorry..."

That last bit sounded like Glynda glared at the student for shouting his thanks. Other than that, it seemed that the Professor had given up trying to convince her student and decided to let him be. For what, though, Jeane did not know. Maybe they were waiting for someone? What she did know was that Goodwitch wasn't leaving anytime soon. Oh, also, she felt like she recognized the voice that belonged to the student too. As she wondered where she heard it from, the talk outside resumed.

"Really now. After that disturbance just the other day, I thought for sure your and Ms. Rose's Teams would behave for just a few more days. Not a day later and yet another incident occurs."

"Eheheheh, we're sorry about that, Ma'am. Really, really sorry."

"I know that you kids can't help but cause trouble every now and then, but the least you could do is think about the ones affected by the trouble you get involved with."

"Yes, Ma'am. Sorry, Ma'am."

"I'm not just talking about the staff, either. People you're close to, friends, especially families. No matter the circumstance, your actions affect them too. Be it worry or shame."

"Eheh, does that mean I need to apologize to them too?"

"Saying 'sorry' too many times makes the expression lose its meaning, Jaune. Do you understand that? I'm not going to write to your family and tell them about any shenanigans you are involved in. Unless you have done something extremely concerning or are involved in something that extends beyond Professor Ozpin's jurisdiction, your actions are your responsibility alone. Tattling about you to your families is like throwing a box of dust in a raging bonfire."

"… … … … Uh… …"

"It's a metaphor for 'it'll only make things worse', Jaune. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Ma'am. I'll be sure to tell the others to be careful too− "BROOOTHER!" −AGAH!"

As soon as she heard that name, the name of the one she had wanted to meet again for so long, she lost it. Jumping out to him, clad only in her blue pajamas and crying out loudly, a pair of blondes crashed to the floor in the most not-quiet way.

"Dear brother, oh, how I've missed you so, brother!"

"Jeane?! AAAAGH! MMMMmmmMMMmmmMMMMM!"

Due to the uncontrollable feelings within her chest, Jeane, realizing that it was Jaune all along, did the most natural thing that popped in her mind: She enveloped her elder twin brother in an embrace. Tightly. Against her chest. She was suffocating him. (This is not meant to be fanservice.) Jaune's muffled cries is because his mouth had been blocked. Pushing against her, Jaune tried to free himself from the sudden ambush by pushing her away with his hands to her shoulders.

"I get it! I get it, so could you please?! Pipe down! Pipe down and let go!"

TAP TAP TAP

Jaune was panicking. He wasn't the type to get flustered nor get a nosebleed from having his sibling press herself against his face. Only actual perverts would do that, or so he believed. However, there was another, more pressing matter that he was more concerned about. To be specific, it was the blonde lady standing right next to the sibling pile on the floor.

TAP TAP TAP

Did I mention how cold it was outside? It was really chilly. The seasons shifted from summer to fall, causing the air around Beacon Academy, that rested near the edge of a cliff, to drop several degrees. As it was evening, the night air had become frigid. Maybe this was the reason for the eerie appearance of Glynda Goodwitch.

TAP TAP TAP

"(Sigh) what did I just say, Mr. and Ms. Arc?"

Glynda, cold from the frosty night air, let out a sigh that turned into a white cloud as it left her lips. The tapping of her foot, her ever-stern gaze that burned holes into Jaune's, the ominously glared directed at the pair. What's more, her posture as she crossed her arms in disappointment, all of the above, made her image of 'the Frozen Witch of the North' ever more apparent.

TAP TAP TAP

"How many times must I repeat myself?" Such a cold countenance caused the twins' spines to feel a chill as she spoke again. "Well, Arc siblings?"

""Hiii! No, Ma'am! We'll stay quiet now!"" "We're sorry!" "Really!"

Quick to sense the danger, the two replied in sync. Well, almost in sync. Just like how many expect of the case between stereotypical twins. It wasn't that they could read each other's minds, though. They just both knew that a mad Goodwitch is the last thing they want for the night. Or any time of the day. No, for an eternity, for that matter.

"Five minutes. Do I make myself clear?"

""Yes. Yes, Ma'am!""

Ending her death glare, Goodwitch left the twins and slowly closed the entrance after stepping inside. Obviously, she was going in to resume her patrol as well as 'handle' any miscreants that would dare cause trouble in the middle of the night. As Jeane was still outside, she closed it but left the doors unlocked.

""Wheeeeeew…""

Simultaneously letting out a sigh of relief, the twin blondes glanced at each other and burst out, laughing… or so they would have. If not for the thought that there was an even more terrifying being than Grimm that currently resided inside the building next to them, the pair would've caused another ruckus.

""Eheheh Eheheh…""

They couldn't help but chuckle quietly instead. Neither could help it although they weren't sure why. Maybe the thought of both of them being scolded by an older, parental figure was enough to rouse the nostalgia within their hearts. Then again, it may just be because it had been a year since they last saw each other.

"I missed you, brother."

"You too, sister."

Jaune replied so, all the while, being enveloped in his twin's loving embrace. This time, he wasn't being choked, but rather, Jeane's gentle embrace felt as fragile as glass. It was the same old feeling that Jaune completely recognized as Jeane's. Delicate and trembling in his arms, just like how she always was when she was afraid. Her messy hair tickled his nose, just like old times, as she held back tears while leaning on his shoulder.

"I've waited so long to see you again."

"Yeah. I know you have."

Jeane cried silently. But, although tears streaked down her cheeks, she was smiling. Holding on to her brother as if scared he would fly away, she smiled. Needless to say, she was happier than anyone else in the school, if not, the world, if only for this moment alone.

Jaune gently hugged his sister back. But, although he wore a smile on his face, his eyes were downcast, unnoticed by Jeane who held on to his chest. As if scared to return the gesture, he pulled away from the embrace. Sensing a change in her brother, she faced him… only to see his smirking expression.

"Wha− What are you laughing at, brother?"

Jaune had a hand hiding his face, however, it wasn't enough to conceal the smirk he directed to his twin.

"Eheheh… I'm sorry…"

Busted, he could only apologize while pulling out a handkerchief. Before Jeane could ask what it was for, Jaune had already started wiping her tears. First her left cheek, then the right. This was the norm between the two. Jaune had always wiped her tears for her when they were kids and Jeane's dependence on him only continued from there. She became quite the spoiled baby once her brother was around.

Once she thought he was done, Jaune pinched her nose with the cloth.

"Blow."

(Okay, she isn't that much of a baby anymore, right? She's already eighteen, right?)

"Pffffft…"

(…. (0 _0 )\\\\(- _ - ) ….)

Jeane casually blew her nose while her brother held the handkerchief. Like it was normal. Having missed her brother for so long (to be precise, approximately a year), Jeane just went with the flow and allowed herself to be pampered, like always.

After she had calmed down, the pair currently sat on the nearby bench under the shattered moonlight. Jeane twiddled with her fingers, unsure as what to do now that her goal having already been accomplished: seeing Jaune again. Jaune, on the other hand, sat next to his twin. Relaxed with his back to the bench and his hands at his sides, he seemed to be at peace next to his twin. Both siblings were currently staring at the stars in the sky in silence.

It might be a bit late, but to describe their current appearance, Jaune wore a simple V-neck, T-shirt and his jeans. His black bunny-hoodie was currently being worn by Jeane. Clad only in her silk pajamas, the chilly air caused her breaths to become clouds.

"It's been a year, huh..."

Breaking the silence first… was Jaune.

"It has, brother…"

"How have you been while I was away? Did you learn to help out with mom and dad?"

"I could never replace you, brother. But I did my best to help mother and father while you were away. I had Lily teach me a lot, including laundry and cooking. Of course, I'm still not on the same level as dear brother, but Lily says that, with a year's worth of practice, I'll be able to reach Phia's level."

'That last bit is not something to be proud of, little sister. Well, maybe in your case, it can be considered as a 'great improvement'.'

Jaune thought as much but refrained from saying it out loud. A year ago, before he left home, Jeane was, put bluntly, a walking disaster. Cleaning up after her was difficult in that you needed at least one person trailing after her to collect her discarded clothes. If it was cooking, there was one incident in which the house had almost burned to the ground. While cleaning ended up with a flood in the bathroom.

Due to all that, Jaune and the three eldest of the siblings could only let her be, spoiling her rotten, so to speak. Their parents were too busy, and even when they tried, well, results speak for themselves. Let's just say that if Arc Senior wasn't so lucky, Crocea Mors would've accidentally beheaded a human being before Jaune's first Grimm.

Now, comparing to their other sisters, Lilian Arc was the most responsible and hardworking of the seven. Although younger than the twins by two years, she was already considered to be the 'unbreakable willpower' of the Arc children by the time she was twelve, pushing her other siblings to work past their limits simply by showing her support.

She also had a lot of patience. Meaning that, if Lily took it upon herself to teach Jeane, there was no way results wouldn't show. Seeing his twin brimming with confidence as she answered him, he wouldn't dare shatter her hope now. However, being told that she would attain the current level of the second worst sister of the bunch, that wasn't saying much. To describe Phia, otherwise known as Sephia Arc, the Arc household wouldn't be standing if she carelessly opened her mouth.

.

.

.

(Moving on…)

"Also, our sisters taught me many things. Most of them were in preparation for my coming here, but they also helped me convince father to train me. Father was amazed. He said I learned fast and was surprised that I had never put so much effort into something other than following after you, dear brother."

Jaune winced at the words but Jeane failed to notice.

"My little sister… you passed the rigorous entrance exams… on your own…?"

It was a quiet question. Jeane thought that he, being mindful of Goodwitch, opted to ask in a low tone.

"Yes…"

"You never even wanted to be a Huntress… but in the year that I was gone, you pushed yourself to be able to enroll at Beacon?"

"Yes… However,… I was only able to come this far because… because it was for big brother…"

"Why…?"

"Eh…?"

"Getting into this school means you're only going to be able to apply for the job of a Huntress. If you do that, it'll be hard to get a different job when you get tired of it, you know?"

"Such a thing… it's no trouble for me, brother."

"But it's still a dangerous job. There's criminals and Grimm. You might get hurt, or worse… …"

Jaune didn't finish. She already knew what he was going to say. Jeane's thoughts drifted to the conversation she had this afternoon. But, almost immediately, she shook the memory off and replied with confidence as she always has.

"If I'm with you, brother, I don't care how dull or dangerous the job may be."

"Why… would you go so far?"

"…"

Jeane became silent. It wasn't that she didn't have an answer. It was just that she found it hard to form the word for it. And that she felt slightly embarrassed.

"If big brother hadn't left home so suddenly, I would never have poured in so much effort, just so I could get into Beacon. But now that I have, I was able to return to your side again."

"Why…?"

Lowering her gaze from the sky to face Jaune, tears had started to well up in her eyes once more as her cheeks turned red. She took Jaune's hand in her own and brought it close to her chest.

"Isn't it obvious, Jaune? You're all I need. As long as I'm by my dear brother's side, there is nowhere else I'd rather be."

From a bystander's perspective, it would seem as if she was trying to convey her heartfelt feelings, akin to a confession.

Jaune didn't let go of his twin's hand. Instead, he had gotten up and helped his sister to her feet and proceeded to hug her again.

"It's good to see you again, Jeane," whispered Jaune.

"You as well, brother," replied Jeane.

Jeane reciprocated the gesture and felt a calm wash over her soul. She wished that the moment could last longer. That such a peaceful scene could stay as it was.

"Sis."

"Yes, brother?"

But alas. Reality had other plans.

"I'll ask one last time. Promise me you'll give me your honest answer. Are you ready?"

"I promise, brother."

"Why did you come here?"

Pulling away from the hug, Jeane stared back at her twin's beautiful cobalt-blue eyes. With the same determination as her answer to that red-eyed jerk this afternoon, she replied.

"To be with you and no one else, Jaune. I came to Beacon so that I would never be apart from you ever again."

Jaune smiled at her reply…

Jeane smiled back…

But underneath the shattered moon's light…

One smile revealed her innocence and joy…

The other buried his jealousy and frustration…

 ** _AUTHOR'S NOTES: FINALLY! Initiation next! Then, I can focus on the future!..._**

 ** _Reeeeeal sorry about that huge delay. Revising took a while as thesis season pelts me with papers and projects like there's no tomorrow. Fixing things here and there during my free time is especially difficult as most of the free time I have is spent in either my dreams or at church. Fun fact: It is during those moments that I get to contemplate on the actual workings of my characters. Thinking about how to create an awesome action sequence or design a weapon functionality while the dude down in front discusses his place I our religion is… how to say… invigorating. (Don't do that at church kiddos. Ya might go down under if ya don't pay attention.)_**

 ** _Back to this delayed update, I pretty much intensified the hostilities between my two main characters, as well as emphasize the problems they carry within themselves. More on that in the next chapters, but for now, I can only give this much. As I am swamped with a ton of other priorities until New Years, this chapter is pretty much it for the year… Disappointing? Yes. I'm really sorry._**

 ** _Writing at my own pace lets me flesh out the characters a bit more. As you can probably tell from my writing, I use conversations and exchanges between characters to outline their personalities. Actions and descriptions come second to define their roles and or purpose in the scene while giving the personality some life. If it isn't obvious, Goodwitch is everywhere on this chapter. And I mean EVERYWHERE. Strict as can be, yet caring all the same. Also, due to the severe lack of staff characters, she's an overused trope as 'that teacher ya don't wanna mess with'. I'm planning on fixing this a bit more by using the new teachers I designed._**

 ** _If words create personality and actions give it life, the reverse is what I use for action sequences. In this chapter is a heavily-rewritten fight between teacher and students. I spent a lot of time scripting that fight, and it only comes down to less than ten minutes IF someone decides to make it into an actual video. Pretty bad, huh?_**

 ** _Well, that's all from me for now. I'll find a way to redirect all my energy into creating free time so as to finish at least one chapter by the end of the year… Wish me luck ( _ )_**

 ** _Review as always so I can improve what's bad and rewrite what's really, really bad. See ya!_**


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